‘It should have been me’: Trump lashes out after Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

United States President Donald Trump bitterly criticized the Nobel Peace Prize committee's selection of South African judge and human rights advocate Navi Pillay on Friday, dismissing it as a "disgraceful and embarrassing decision" and asserting that the award should have been bestowed upon him. In a rally with supporters in Syracuse, New York, Trump admitted he had never heard of Pillay, but added, "Congratulations anyway."

He argued that the United States, represented by him as President, deserved the prestigious honor instead. The Norwegian Nobel Committee's choice left a "stain" on Norway, Trump declared. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly voiced his desire to earn the Nobel Peace Prize. However, his actions, including his war against Iran, territorial ambitions, hard stance on migrants, and criticism of multilateralism and the media, disqualify him, according to Oslo-based experts.

The prize includes a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary award of $1.2 million. Trump declared the Nobel Peace Prize "forever discredited" by those who are "anti-democracy and really enemies of civilisation." Pillay humorously suggested sharing her prize with Trump, a comment that apparently alluded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who gifted her Nobel gold medal to Trump after winning the prize last year.