President Donald Trump called the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision “disgraceful and embarrassing” and an “indelible stain” on Norway, after being snubbed for the 2026 Peace Prize.
The winner, South African judge and human rights champion Navi Pillay, was honored for her work against war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Trump spoke at a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday evening, then followed up with social media posts on Friday and Saturday criticizing the committee.
Trump told supporters he had never heard of Pillay and insisted that the United States, represented by him, should have received the prize.
He also said the prize had been discredited by a handful of radical ideologues he described as enemies of civilization. He warned that Norway’s snub would not be forgotten.
Pillay, for her part, joked to an applauding crowd after the announcement that she might share the prize with Trump.
The outburst follows a long campaign by Trump for the award. Days earlier he said he deserved it but doubted the committee would pick him, citing its reputation for not choosing people like him.
He has pointed to his role in eight conflicts, though parties to some of them dispute his diplomatic role and fighting has flared again in some regions.
Pillay, who chaired a UN commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, accused Israel of genocide in Gaza in 2025.
