US President Donald Trump’s hopes of securing the Nobel Peace Prize next month appear unlikely to materialise, as the Norwegian Nobel Committee has reiterated its independence and dismissed the idea of being swayed by political pressure or media campaigns.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump, has openly expressed his desire to win the prestigious accolade, frequently declaring that he “deserves it.” He has claimed credit for ending six wars, despite ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, which he has promised to resolve.
Trump’s fixation with the award draws parallels with his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, who was controversially named a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2009, just months into his presidency.
“Of course, we do notice that there is a lot of media attention towards particular candidates,” Kristian Berg Harpviken, secretary to the Nobel Committee, told AFP in an interview in Oslo. “But that really has no impact on the discussions that are going on in the committee. The committee considers each individual nominee on his or her own merits.”
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be announced on October 10.
Trump has argued that he has the backing of several foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. Netanyahu, in July, handed Trump a copy of the letter he said he had sent to the committee nominating him.
However, nominations for this year’s award closed on January 31 — just 11 days after Trump’s inauguration — raising doubts about whether such endorsements could be valid for 2025.
“To be nominated is not necessarily a great achievement. The great achievement is to become a laureate,” Harpviken explained, noting that thousands of individuals, from parliamentarians to former laureates and academics, are eligible to submit names.
While Trump has built his case around high-profile endorsements, the committee underscored that its process is guided by expert evaluations rather than political campaigns or media influence.
With a record 338 individuals and organisations nominated this year, and given the committee’s insistence on independence, analysts say Trump faces an uphill battle to secure the honour he so openly covets.
