US President Donald Trump has claimed he should have won eight Nobel Peace Prizes for conflicts he says he helped settle, attacking the decision to award the 2026 honor to Navi Pillay days after his remarks about Iran potentially striking Los Angeles and San Diego drew widespread criticism.
Trump’s Nobel grievance followed controversy over his comments at a campaign rally in Nebraska on October 5, when he said, “Let them take out Los Angeles . His remarks came after the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Pillay, a South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief, as this year’s laureate. In a post on Truth Social, Trump questioned Pillay’s selection and argued that his diplomatic record had been overlooked despite his claims of ending wars and preventing further conflicts. Trump also claimed to have prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and helped secure the return of Israeli hostages. Let them take out San Diego ,” while discussing Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the economic costs of the conflict. He argued that he was making the case for preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and insisted that he would not allow the country to attack American cities. In his Truth Social post, Trump questioned Pillay’s credentials and accused her of hostility towards Israel.
Trump listed Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Pakistan and India , Israel and Iran , Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Israel and Hamas among the conflicts he said he had helped resolve. The Nobel Committee, meanwhile, said Pillay was being honored for her efforts to promote peace and international law, including accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Trump subsequently said his comments had been misinterpreted. He also criticized the United Nations , claiming it had played no meaningful role in the conflicts he said he had settled. “The United States of America, represented by me, as your President, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t,” he wrote.
