Donald Trump’s intense desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize is shaping his foreign policy, according to diplomats and analysts. The US president has openly coveted the award for years, and his recent efforts to broker peace deals in Gaza and Ukraine are seen as part of a campaign to influence the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
With the announcement due on Friday, Trump’s allies have taken to the airwaves to lobby for him. Republican congressman Brian Mast said on Fox News that the committee “need to give President Trump the Nobel peace prize,” while former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy declared that Trump “deserves that Nobel peace prize.” Trump later thanked both men on Truth Social.
Trump has been active behind the scenes, phoning Norway’s finance minister Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the prize and tariffs. He has also claimed to have ended “six or seven wars” since returning to the White House. Diplomats say the prize is a key motivator; one senior European diplomat noted that “anytime he is talking about solving seven wars, he is really sending a message: give me the Nobel.”
The timeline for the award has influenced negotiations. Officials believed a peace deal for Gaza would be ready by Friday, the same day as the Nobel announcement. However, the Norwegian committee said it held its final meeting on Monday, two days before Trump announced the first phase of the deal.
Despite the political manoeuvring, the Gaza deal has been welcomed by critics of the war. Israeli peace activist Gershon Baskin called it “a morning for celebration,” adding that “the war is ending. The killing and destruction will stop.”
