US President Donald Trump has criticised the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge and human rights advocate Navi Pillay, describing the choice as “disgraceful” and an “indelible stain” on Norway.
Pillay received the prestigious award on Friday in recognition of her efforts to combat war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Reacting to the announcement at a rally in Syracuse, New York, Trump said he had never heard of Pillay and insisted that he deserved the award instead.
“I never heard of this particular person, but congratulations anyway,” he said.
“The United States of America, represented by me as your president, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t.”
Trump described the decision as “a disgraceful and embarrassing decision”, adding that the selection had left “an indelible stain on the country of Norway”.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, the US president has repeatedly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, experts in Oslo had argued before the announcement that his war against Iran, territorial ambitions, including his interest in Greenland, hard-line immigration policies and attacks on multilateralism and the media undermined his chances of receiving the honour.
Trump also criticised the award, claiming it had lost its credibility.
“The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really enemies of civilisation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pillay joked about the possibility of sharing the award with Trump while addressing a crowd following the announcement.
“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” she said.
Her remark appeared to reference Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who reportedly presented her Nobel gold medal to Trump after winning the award last year.
The Nobel Peace Prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma and prize money of $1.2 million.
AFP
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