Syracuse: US President Donald Trump criticised the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navi Pillay, calling it “disgraceful” and arguing that he should have received the honour.
Speaking at a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, Trump said the United States, represented by him as president, deserved the award.
He described the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s choice as embarrassing and said it left an “indelible stain” on Norway.
“I never heard of this particular person, but congratulations anyway,” Trump said of Pillay.
The South African judge and human rights advocate received the prize in recognition of her work against war crimes and crimes against humanity. The award includes a gold medal, diploma and USD 1.2 million.
Trump also accused the committee of being politically biased, describing its members as radical ideologues and claiming they had discredited the prize.
His remarks follow repeated public assertions that he deserves the award since returning to the White House in January 2025.
Before the announcement, experts in Oslo cited his war against Iran, ambitions concerning Greenland, immigration policies and attacks on multilateral institutions and the media as reasons they considered his prospects weak. Those assessments were expert opinions rather than an explanation issued by the Nobel Committee.
Pillay, meanwhile, joked about sharing the prize with Trump while addressing an applauding crowd after the announcement.
“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” she said.
The remark appeared to reference Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who gave Trump her Nobel medal after winning last year’s prize.
The exchange places Trump’s longstanding campaign for the honour alongside the committee’s recognition of Pillay’s work on accountability for international crimes.
