US President Donald Trump’s chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize are reportedly minimal, but his campaign for the award is expected to cast a shadow over Friday’s announcement of the winner in Oslo, AFP reported, citing experts.
experts believe he remains a significant factor in the committee’s deliberations Although Trump has not lobbied as openly for the Nobel in recent weeks. Machado later gave Trump her Nobel gold medal, saying he deserved it following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, although she did not secure his political backing in return.
The choice of laureate could be interpreted as either direct or indirect criticism of the US president, the report said. Trump is “the spectre in the room”, said Haakon Gjerlow, head of the Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO). Gjerlow said the Nobel committee would have to consider whether awarding the prize could create “harm rather than good”, given the possible reaction from the White House. “There’s always a lot of lobbying, and ultimately perhaps also attempts to exert pressure on the committee,” Harpviken said, adding that such efforts did not influence the committee’s discussions or decisions.
The Nobel Peace Prize last year went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a choice that was generally considered acceptable to Trump.
