Donald Trump's fervent pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize is believed to have been a key motivator in his recent efforts to broker peace deals in Ukraine and Gaza, according to diplomats and officials. The US president has openly coveted the award for years, and his campaign to influence the Norwegian Nobel committee has intensified in the hours before the prize is announced.
As news broke of a landmark peace agreement that could end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, Trump's allies took to the airwaves in a last-ditch effort to win him the award. Republican congressman Brian Mast said on Fox News that the Nobel committee should give Trump the prize, while former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy stated that Israelis agree Trump deserves it. Trump thanked both men on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Behind the scenes, Trump has been active, phoning Norway's finance minister Jens Stoltenberg this summer to discuss the Nobel prize and tariffs. He regularly brings up the award, often claiming to have ended six or seven wars since returning to the White House. Diplomats say the obsession has become a running joke, with one senior European diplomat noting that when Trump talks about solving wars, he is really sending a message to give him the Nobel.
The Nobel prize is believed to have been a key motivator in Trump's recent efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, influencing a rare summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. However, Putin was unmoved and Trump appeared to lose interest. The focus then shifted to Gaza, with Trump's push for a peace deal kicking into gear during last month's UN general assembly. He approved a 20-point peace plan announced during a White House summit with Benjamin Netanyahu in late September.
The timeline for the Nobel award has played an active role, with officials believing a peace deal would be ready by Friday, the same day the Nobel committee announces its choice. Former negotiator Doron Hadar told the Washington Post that the Friday morning deadline is shaping the timeline. In an ironic twist, the Norwegian committee held its final meeting on Monday, two days before Trump announced the first phase of the peace deal on Truth Social.
Despite the naked ambition behind Trump's push for peace in Gaza, even critics have hailed the deal as a major achievement. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin wrote that the war is ending and the killing and destruction will stop, adding that President Trump deserves credit.
