The head of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee on Friday sought to justify the panel’s decision not to award President Donald Trump the 2025 Peace Prize, subtly implying that the U.S. leader’s record did not meet the committee’s standard for the prestigious honor — even after Trump brokered a historic peace framework between Israel and Hamas.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, was asked about growing calls for Trump to receive the award. The president has argued that it would be “an insult to the United States” if the committee overlooked his diplomatic accomplishments.
However, the deadline for nominations was January 31 — just days after Trump began his second term — meaning his recent achievements will be considered for the 2026 prize, explained The New York Post.
Still, Frydnes appeared to suggest that timing alone wasn’t the reason Trump was not chosen. “In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee has seen many types of campaign, media attention,” he said, without mentioning Trump by name. “We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace.”
He continued, “This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”
The Nobel Committee announced earlier this week that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado had been selected as the 2025 laureate. Frydnes made the announcement Monday in Oslo, hailing Machado’s role in advancing democratic reforms in Venezuela.
The choice came amid a wave of lobbying from Trump’s allies, who had urged the committee to honor him after he brokered an agreement between Israel and Hamas earlier this month — a breakthrough hailed by global leaders as the first major step toward lasting peace in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among those leading the charge, posting an AI-generated image of Trump receiving the Nobel medal on Twitter with the caption: “Give @realDonaldTrump the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it!”
Trump has also been credited with helping to mediate a truce between Russia and Ukraine and de-escalating other long-standing international conflicts.
For now, though, the Nobel Committee appears unmoved. As Frydnes noted, the body’s decisions are guided by Nobel’s original vision — one that prizes moral courage over political campaigns, no matter how visible.
