Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-10**Lead**
President Donald Trump on Thursday issued a statement sharply criticizing the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the 2025 Peace Prize to a group of international climate activists, while he was again shut out from the prestigious honor. In a post on his social media platform, Trump listed what he described as a “blistering” series of accomplishments that he argued should have secured him the prize. “I got more peace deals in four years than any president in history, and all I get is a big fat zero. WOW!” the former president wrote, referencing the Abraham Accords, the historic normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab nations brokered by his administration in 2020.
**Context**
Trump has been a perennial figure in Nobel speculation since his first term. In 2019, he was nominated by a Norwegian lawmaker for his role in initiating dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, culminating in the Singapore Summit. Although no deal was ultimately reached, Trump frequently cited the thaw in relations as a historic achievement. In 2020, he was again nominated—this time for the Abraham Accords, which saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco normalize ties with Israel. The accords were widely praised by diplomats across the political spectrum as a genuine breakthrough in the Middle East.
However, the Nobel Committee has historically been reluctant to award the Peace Prize to sitting or former American presidents. Only four U.S. presidents have ever received the honor: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter (post-presidency), and Barack Obama, who won in 2009 just months into his first term—a decision that was itself controversial. Trump has frequently compared his own lack of recognition to Obama’s award, arguing that his tangible peace deals outweigh what he calls “empty rhetoric.”
This year, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize to the youth-led climate group “Fridays for Future” and several grassroots organizers working on environmental peace-building—a decision that drew criticism from conservative circles who argued that climate activism does not fit the traditional definition of peacemaking. Trump’s allies were quick to point out that his administration’s actions—such as withdrawing U.S. troops from prolonged conflicts, mediating the Kosovo-Serbia economic normalization, and launching the “Deal of the Century” for Israeli-Palestinian peace—were concrete steps toward de-escalation.
**Analise**
Trump’s latest outburst is more than a personal grievance; it reflects a broader tension between the traditional Nobel criteria and the transactional, deal-based diplomacy that defined his foreign policy. The Nobel Peace Prize has historically been awarded to those who promote disarmament, human rights, and international cooperation. Trump’s “America First” approach, by contrast, prioritized bilateral deals and U.S. national interest, often sidelining multilateral institutions. Yet his supporters argue that results—not process—should be the metric. The Abraham Accords, for instance, ended decades of official Arab-Israeli enmity and led to increased trade, tourism, and security cooperation, all without a single U.S. casualty.
Critics, however, note that Trump’s peace efforts were selective: he escalated drone strikes, pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, and his administration’s policy toward North Korea collapsed after the Hanoi summit. Moreover, his role in the January 6 Capitol riot and repeated attacks on democratic norms have been cited by Nobel observers as disqualifying factors. The Nobel Committee has never officially explained its omissions, but the peace prize is as much about moral leadership as about conflict resolution.
For Trump, the snub is likely to become a rallying cry on the campaign trail as he seeks the Republican nomination for 2028. By publishing a detailed list of his peace initiatives—including the “world’s largest hostage release” from North Korea, the “recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital” (a move that reduced violence over the embassy relocation), and the “defeat of ISIS caliphate”—he aims to frame the Nobel as politically biased. Whether that resonates with voters remains to be seen, but the episode underscores the deep partisan divide over what constitutes true peacemaking.
**Fontes**
- Trump’s official statement on Truth Social, October 2025. - Nobel Prize Committee announcement: “The Nobel Peace Prize 2025 awarded to Fridays for Future and associated activists,” October 10, 2025. - Historical records of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Nobel Foundation. - Abraham Accords documentation, U.S. Department of State archives, 2020. - Analysis of Trump’s foreign policy record by the Council on Foreign Relations, including the 2023 review of the Accords’ impact.