Just hours before this year’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement, US President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on his predecessor Barack Obama, accusing him of receiving the prestigious award “for doing nothing.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump — who has repeatedly expressed his own desire to win the Nobel — said he had achieved “real peace” through his recent Gaza ceasefire deal and claimed credit for “ending eight wars.”
“He got it for doing nothing. Obama got a prize — he didn’t even know what for. He got elected, and they gave it to him for absolutely nothing but destroying our country,” Trump said.
Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, just eight months into his first term — a decision that surprised many observers. Even The New York Times had described the award as “very premature,” arguing that the Nobel Committee “should have a higher bar.”
Trump’s remarks came after the announcement of the US-brokered peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, hailed by his administration as a “historic breakthrough.”
“I’ve stopped eight wars, so that’s never happened before — but they’ll have to do what they do. Whatever they decide is fine. I didn’t do it for the prize; I did it because I saved a lot of lives,” Trump added.
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced at 5 am EST (2:30 pm IST) on Thursday in Oslo, Norway.
Since returning to the Oval Office in January, Trump has made no secret of his admiration for the Nobel institution — and his frustration at never having received the honour. He has often taken credit for peace efforts around the world, sometimes exaggerating his role.
Last month, in his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Trump claimed he had “ended seven un-endable wars” and hinted that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
However, analysts note that while Trump’s administration has helped broker ceasefires in certain regions, his role in some of the conflicts he has cited remains disputed by other nations involved.
