US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he deserves to win the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, while admitting he is unsure whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will award him the prestigious honour.
“I don’t know what their decision is going to be,” Trump told reporters, referring to the prize, which is due to be announced on Friday. He added that the committee has “a reputation for maybe not giving it to people like me”.
Trump has repeatedly claimed since returning to the White House last year that his diplomatic efforts deserve recognition with the Nobel Peace Prize. He said he believed “it is about that time” for him to receive the award.
The president also pointed to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who handed Trump her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal in January as she sought US backing for her efforts in Venezuela. Trump described this as being honoured indirectly, saying Machado had claimed that nobody in history deserved the prize more than him.
Trump has cited his involvement in eight international conflicts since taking office as evidence of his diplomatic achievements. Leaders from Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have also said they nominated him, although those claims cannot be independently verified.
However, Trump’s record on international conflicts remains disputed. Parties involved in several conflicts he has claimed to have helped resolve have challenged his role, while fighting has resumed in some areas, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and along the Cambodia-Thailand border.
Trump has also failed to secure an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite previously promising to end the conflict on his first day back in office. Meanwhile, US-Israeli strikes against Iran have fuelled a months-long conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and pushed up gas prices ahead of the US midterm elections.
Among those considered favourites for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize are Pope Leo, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations special rapporteur for the Palestinian Territories.
