Trump calls Nobel Peace Prize decision ‘disgraceful’, says US deserved award

US President Donald Trump has criticised the selection of South African judge and human rights advocate Navi Pillay for the Nobel Peace Prize, calling the decision “disgraceful” and saying the United States should have received the award under his leadership.

Addressing a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, Trump described the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision as “a disgraceful and embarrassing decision” and said he had never heard of Pillay.

“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 added.

He also said the selection had left “an indelible stain on the country of Norway”.

Pillay was awarded the prestigious prize in recognition of her work against war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize since returning to the White House in January 2025.

Before the announcement, experts in Oslo had cited his war against Iran, territorial ambitions involving Greenland, hardline immigration policies and criticism of multilateralism and the media as factors weighing against his chances of receiving the award.

Trump also criticised the Nobel Peace Prize, saying it had been “forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who areb no anti-democracy and really enemies of civilisation”.

Following the announcement, Pillay joked about sharing the prize with Trump, telling a cheering crowd: “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump.”

Her remark appeared to refer to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who gave her Nobel gold medal to Trump after winning the prize last year.

The Nobel Peace Prize includes a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary award of $1.2 million.