US President Donald Trump voiced strong disapproval over the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Navi Pillay, a former International Criminal Court judge and UN human rights chief. Trump made his criticism public during a rally in Syracuse, New York, shortly after the announcement, stating he had never heard of the recipient and characterizing the decision as “disgraceful and embarrassing.”
Pillay, a South African legal professional, received the recognition from the Norwegian Nobel Committee for her work promoting peace and international law, as well as her instrumental role in ensuring prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Upon learning of the award while at Nuremberg’s Palace of Justice, the 85-year-old said the news seemed like “a joke” and made a light reference to Trump during her remarks, joking that additional applause might lead her to share the prize with the US president.
Trump claimed during his rally that he had settled eight wars and was close to resolving two additional conflicts, though he provided no supporting evidence. He further asserted that the Nobel Peace Prize had been “forever discredited” by what he described as “radical ideologues who are anti-democracy.” This represents a continuation of Trump’s public complaints about not receiving the award; he made similar criticisms in 2025 when Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was selected as the recipient.
Following last year’s decision, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre clarified to Trump that an independent committee, rather than the Norwegian government, determines the prize recipient. After Machado received the 2025 prize, she presented her medal to Trump at a White House meeting, which she indicated recognized his commitment to Venezuelan freedom. The Nobel Committee subsequently issued a statement clarifying that Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred once announced, describing such decisions as final and permanent.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI