Nicolai Haugsted
Trump warns that denying him the Nobel Peace Prize would be a major embarrassment for the committee.
President Donald Trump’s long-running fascination with the Nobel Peace Prize is once again attracting attention, with the announcement of this year’s winner just around the corner.
The prestigious award has repeatedly featured in Trump’s public remarks, particularly when discussing his foreign policy achievements and comparing his presidency with those of his predecessors.
But with the 2026 recipient set to be revealed on Friday, October 9, the president is already expressing frustration over the possibility of missing out.
During an Oval Office appearance, Trump criticized the Nobel committee and revived his grievances involving former President Barack Obama, who received the award in 2009.
The winner, however, has not yet been announced.
Trump complains before the announcement
The remarks came as Trump was celebrating the rollout of Trump Accounts, an initiative associated with his administration.
During the event, a reporter asked whether the president had “any regrets about how” he had used his “time behind that desk” ahead of Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement.
Rather than directly addressing the question, Trump shifted the conversation toward the award itself.
According to Raw Story, the president appeared to suggest that he did not expect to win.
He also characterized the prospect of being overlooked as a “great discredit” to the Nobel committee.
The timing made the criticism particularly striking, considering that the Norwegian Nobel Committee had yet to reveal its decision.
Trump also appeared unaware that the announcement was scheduled for Friday.
Obama returns to the conversation
Trump’s response included criticism of Barack Obama, whose Nobel Peace Prize victory has remained a recurring point of comparison for the Republican president.
Obama received the award in 2009, less than a year after taking office.
The decision attracted considerable attention at the time because his presidency was still in its early stages.
Trump has frequently contrasted Obama’s recognition with his own diplomatic record, arguing that his accomplishments deserve similar acknowledgment.
His latest remarks suggest that the comparison continues to influence how he views the prestigious award.
Yet Obama’s previous victory has no bearing on the committee’s decision about the 2026 recipient.
A previous winner enters the discussion
Trump also brought up Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025.
According to the report, the president recalled how Machado had symbolically presented him with her award.
The gesture provided Trump with an opportunity to revisit his connection to the prize, despite never having been selected as its official recipient.
Machado’s recognition and her subsequent gesture toward Trump are separate from the Nobel committee’s selection process.
The committee determines the official recipient, and a previous winner cannot transfer that status to another person simply by presenting them with the medal.
The decision remains out of Trump’s hands
The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which evaluates candidates before selecting the recipient.
Its deliberations are confidential, meaning public speculation about potential winners does not establish who is actually under consideration.
Trump’s comments therefore come without any official indication that he has been rejected.
The announcement is scheduled for Friday, leaving the president and everyone else waiting for the committee’s decision.
For now, Trump has managed to criticize a potential outcome before learning whether it will happen.
