Washington / Oslo — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has long shown a clear desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a goal reflected in several of his recent actions and statements. In his latest address to the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Trump claimed credit for “ending six wars and establishing peace,” asserting that “everyone believes I deserve the Nobel Prize.”
According to a Bloomberg report published Saturday, Trump and his aides have allegedly exerted direct and indirect pressure on the Norwegian Nobel Committee in recent months, intensifying lobbying efforts ahead of this year’s peace prize announcement.
The report drew parallels to China’s 2010 attempt to pressure the Nobel Committee, when Beijing officials threatened severe consequences if a Chinese dissident was nominated. The Committee ignored the threats and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed human rights activist Liu Xiaobo that year.
Christian Berg Harpviken, Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, confirmed that Chinese authorities had systematically tried to halt the award process, adding that “it was difficult for them to accept the Committee’s independence.”
Now, Bloomberg suggests, the Nobel Committee’s independence is again being tested — this time by Trump’s aggressive lobbying. During his September UN address, Trump argued that he received “no credit” for the Abraham Accords, which he claimed brought peace to the Middle East.
In a recent White House cabinet meeting, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff proposed that the former president should receive the Nobel Prize for his alleged role in resolving or de-escalating conflicts in India-Pakistan, Congo-Rwanda, Thailand-Cambodia, and Russia-Ukraine. Witkoff reportedly urged the Nobel Committee to “act on the matter.”
On Tuesday, addressing senior military officials, Trump remarked that he “never expected to win the Nobel,” suggesting the Committee would “choose someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.” Within U.S. political circles, this has been framed as a point of national pride, with some viewing a possible rejection as “an insult to America.”
Reports further indicate that Witkoff has privately raised Trump’s Nobel aspirations in conversations with European diplomats, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also advocated for Trump’s nomination.
In response, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates independently and that the decision on whether Trump deserves the award “rests entirely with them.”
