President Donald Trump said the Nobel committee's decision not to award him the 2026 Peace Prize leaves "an indelible stain" on Norway, speaking Friday night at a campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, according to NBC News and Newsweek.
"Today they gave out the Nobel Peace Prize to a person I never heard of. Nobody did. It's a mystery person," Trump told the crowd at the Syracuse Oncenter, where he was campaigning for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman. He added that the Nobel Peace Prize "has been forever discredited by a handful of radical ideologues," per NBC News.
Who actually won
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize went to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist. The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored her decades of work on international law and human rights, including her leadership of a United Nations panel that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, according to NBC News. Pillay previously served as a judge on the International Criminal Court and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Trump's case for himself
Trump argued he deserved the prize instead, telling the rally he had "settled eight wars" and was working to "settle or win two more," an apparent reference to Iran and the war in Ukraine, per Newsweek. He has made similar claims throughout his term about ending or preventing conflicts in Africa and Asia. He did not address the ongoing wars in Ukraine or the Middle East during his own administration, NBC News noted.
Pillay responded to Trump's comments with her own line at a separate appearance, saying, "If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump," according to NBC News.
The rest of the rally
The nearly 90-minute speech also included an attack on New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom Trump referred to using a derogatory term, according to NBC News. His administration has repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought to prosecute James. Newsweek reported the rally drew hundreds of protesters outside the venue, and that boxer Mike Tyson made an appearance; three protesters were escorted out during the speech.
No reaction from the Norwegian Nobel Committee or Norwegian officials to Trump's remarks had been reported as of publication.
