Trump Nobel Peace Prize hopes are again in focus after the US president said he believes he deserves the award but remains unsure about winning. The Nobel 2026 decision comes after Maria Corina Machado gave Trump her 2025 medal and amid renewed debate over US presidents who previously won.
Trump says he deserves Nobel Peace Prize before Friday decision
US President Donald Trump has again said he believes he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, while acknowledging uncertainty over whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee will select him when it announces the 2026 winner on October 9.
Speaking in the Oval Office on October 7, Trump said it was “about that time” and argued that his record on international conflicts justified recognition. He also suggested the committee might be reluctant to choose someone like him. The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce this year’s laureate in Oslo at 11 a.m. CEST on Friday.
Trump claim
Trump has repeatedly promoted his case for the prize since returning to the White House in 2025. His administration has credited him with helping resolve or reduce several international conflicts, though some of those claims remain disputed and several regions continue to face renewed violence.
Trump has also pointed to support from foreign leaders who have publicly said they nominated him. However, a nomination does not represent endorsement by the Nobel Committee and does not indicate that a candidate has reached the committee’s shortlist.
Nobel 2026
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has 287 registered candidates, including 208 individuals and 79 organisations. The official list remains confidential for 50 years, meaning public claims about nominations cannot be independently confirmed by the committee.
The committee says it assesses candidates against Alfred Nobel’s criteria, including efforts that advance peace, international cooperation and conflict resolution. Public lobbying or political pressure does not formally influence the selection process.
Machado medal
Trump also referred to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and later gave him her medal. Machado presented the medal to Trump in January 2026 while seeking continued US backing for Venezuela’s opposition movement. Trump has repeatedly cited the gesture as recognition of his role in supporting her cause.
The Nobel institution has separately stressed that a Nobel Prize itself cannot be transferred, shared or reassigned, even if the physical medal changes hands. The official laureate remains the person originally selected by the committee.
US winners
Four US presidents have received the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Roosevelt became the first US president to win, receiving the 1906 prize for helping mediate the end of the Russo-Japanese War.
Former Vice President Al Gore also received the prize in 2007, sharing it with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for work on climate awareness.
Norway decides on October 9
Trump’s chances remain difficult to assess because the committee reveals neither its shortlist nor internal deliberations. Experts have publicly discussed a wide field this year, ranging from political leaders to humanitarian groups and institutions such as the International Space Station.
For Trump, the question is now simple but unresolved: whether the committee views his foreign-policy record as matching the prize’s peace criteria. Until the announcement in Oslo, any prediction about the winner remains speculation.
