WASHINGTON-DC—US President Donald Trump has declared the Nobel Peace Prize “forever discredited” after South African human rights pioneer Navi Pillay was named the 2026 laureate, renewing his criticism of the committee for overlooking his own claims to the prestigious award.
Speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, October 9, Trump expressed anger over the decision, arguing that the United States, under his leadership, deserved the honour for what he described as his efforts to resolve international conflicts.
“The Nobel Peace Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and really enemies of civilisation,” Trump said.
Trump also questioned Pillay’s international standing, saying he had not heard of her and suggesting that the award should have gone to the United States, represented by him as president.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Pillay as the 2026 laureate in recognition of her efforts to promote peace and international law, particularly her longstanding work advancing human rights and accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Pillay, 85, is a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and an experienced international jurist who served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She also chaired a United Nations commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, from 2021 to 2025.
The commission concluded that genocide had been committed in Gaza, a finding Israel has rejected.
Pillay’s award comes amid continuing international debate over accountability for alleged violations of international law and the role of global judicial institutions in addressing conflicts.
Trump has repeatedly argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his claimed role in resolving international disputes. His latest remarks put the spotlight on the divide between his assessment of his diplomatic record and the Nobel Committee’s decision to recognise Pillay’s decades of work in human rights and international justice.
