'Stain on the country': Trump criticises Norway over Nobel Peace Prize

Donald Trump used a rally in Syracuse, New York, to denounce Norway’s decision to award this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to former International Criminal Court judge Navi Pillay, a South African who has never served as a UN human‑rights chief. The president claimed he had “never heard of” the “mystery person,” called the award “disgraceful and embarrassing,” and described it as “an indelible stain on the country of Norway.” He reiterated his own peace credentials, asserting he had settled eight wars and was about to settle or win two more, while accusing the Nobel Committee of being dominated by “radical ideologues” hostile to democracy.

The Nobel Committee explained that Pillay was honored “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” noting her instrumental role in ensuring war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted, thereby advancing a more comprehensive global legal order. Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes highlighted her contributions, and Pillay, 85, reacted from Nuremberg’s Palace of Justice by calling the announcement “a joke” and thanking supporters. The committee also clarified that Nobel prizes cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred, a point underscored after a previous incident in which Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado attempted to gift her 2025 medal to Trump, prompting the White House to accuse the committee of politicising the prize.

Trump’s criticism follows a pattern of grievances over past Nobel selections, including his 2025 outburst when the prize went to Machado. Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre previously reminded Trump that an independent Norwegian committee, not the government, decides the laureates. The president’s remarks have reignited debate over the Nobel’s independence and its relevance to contemporary geopolitics, while Pillay’s recognition underscores ongoing international efforts to strengthen legal mechanisms against mass atrocities.

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