US President Donald Trump has criticised the decision to award the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge and human rights advocate Navi Pillay, describing the choice as “disgraceful” and accusing the Norwegian Nobel Committee of discrediting the award.
Trump made the remarks on Friday at a rally in Syracuse, New York, where he said the decision had left “an indelible stain” on Norway.
“I never heard of this particular person, but congratulations anyway,” he said, referring to Pillay.
“The United States of America, represented by me as your president, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t.”
Trump also described the committee’s decision as “a disgraceful and embarrassing decision”, adding that the prize had been “forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really enemies of civilisation”.
Pillay, a prominent figure in international human rights law, was recognised for her work against war crimes and crimes against humanity. She previously headed the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and chaired a United Nations commission that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Trump’s Longstanding Interest in the Nobel Prize
Trump has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize since returning to the White House in January 2025.
His foreign policy, however, has attracted criticism over his administration’s military actions against Iran, territorial ambitions concerning Greenland, hard-line immigration policies and confrontations with multilateral institutions and the media.
The prize includes a gold medal, a diploma and a monetary award of approximately $1.2 million.
Pillay appeared to respond to Trump’s criticism with humour following the announcement of her award. Addressing a crowd that applauded her, she joked: “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump.”
Her remark appeared to allude to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who reportedly gave Trump her Nobel gold medal after winning the award in 2025.
Trump’s response adds to the public dispute surrounding his repeated calls for Nobel recognition and the committee’s decision to honour Pillay for her work in international justice and human rights.
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