US President Donald Trump has accused Norway of bearing an “indelible stain” for not awarding him the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, launching a fresh attack on the award hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay was named this year’s laureate.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, October 9, Trump described the decision as disgraceful and embarrassing, questioned Pillay’s recognition and accused the Nobel Peace Prize establishment of being politically motivated.
“This is an indelible stain on the country of Norway and those people that made such a disgraceful and embarrassing decision,” Trump said, according to Reuters.
Trump’s remarks renewed his longstanding grievance over being overlooked for the prestigious award, which he has repeatedly argued he deserves for his claimed role in resolving international conflicts.
Trump Calls Nobel Peace Prize ‘Forever Discredited’
Trump criticised the Nobel selection process after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to Pillay, a former judge of the International Criminal Court and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Referring to Pillay, Trump called her a “mystery person” and said he had never heard of her. He also questioned the credibility of the award and accused those responsible for the decision of ideological bias.
“The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really enemies of civilization,” Trump said, adding, “And we will not forget, Norway.”
The remarks came as Trump continued to promote his record on international diplomacy. He listed several geopolitical disputes in which he claimed to have helped prevent conflict, including tensions involving North Korea, Japan and China and Taiwan. However, he did not provide evidence to substantiate those claims during the remarks.
Why Navi Pillay Won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize
Pillay’s selection brought international attention to her decades-long career in human rights and international justice. The South African jurist has held senior positions in international legal institutions, including the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court and the United Nations.
Her work has focused on accountability for grave international crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Trump’s criticism also comes against the backdrop of Pillay’s involvement in a United Nations commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel has rejected.
The Nobel decision has placed Pillay’s international legal record and her work on contentious human-rights issues at the centre of a political dispute involving the US president.
Trump has repeatedly expressed disappointment at not receiving the Peace Prize during his presidency. His latest comments suggest that the award remains a point of personal and political frustration, even as he continues to present his diplomatic initiatives as evidence of his contribution to global peace.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to honour Pillay, rather than Trump, has now become the latest flashpoint in that dispute.