Trump Deeply Disappointed at Failing to Win Nobel Peace Prize, Attacks Norway and South African Winner

United States President Donald Trump openly expressed his anger at not being awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. In a campaign speech in Syracuse, New York, on Friday (9/10/2026), he called the Norwegian Nobel Committee's decision an "indelible stain" on the country and accused the prize of having been "permanently discredited" by a group of radical ideologues.

The statement came amid a contradictory context: in the same year, the Trump administration started a military conflict with Iran. In his speech, he claimed to have ended a number of wars, though some of them were not full-scale conflicts or are still ongoing. He also asserted he would soon end two other wars, namely Iran and Russia-Ukraine, with a threatening tone that Iran must surrender or "there will be no more".

Trump also touched on this year's Nobel winner, Navi Pillay, a former UN high commissioner for human rights from South Africa who led a UN commission of inquiry that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza. He belittled Pillay as "a liberal who works at the UN and nobody knows".

Responding to Trump's anger, Pillay reacted calmly. During her visit to the Nuremberg courthouse in Germany, she joked that if her colleagues did not stop clapping, "I will share this prize with Trump." Her remark was met with laughter. Pillay's humility contrasts with Trump's rhetoric attacking back at the awarding institution.

Trump's disappointment over the Nobel is nothing new. Since taking office, he has repeatedly stated that he deserves the award, often citing unverified claims of conflict resolution. This year, however, his criticism of Norway and the Nobel Committee reached a new level, calling them "enemies of civilization".

For Indonesia, Trump's statement underscores an increasingly unpredictable global political dynamic. US-Iran tensions could affect the stability of world oil prices and Indonesia's foreign policy, which has so far maintained a balance between major powers. In addition, Trump's stance on multilateralism and international institutions such as the UN could influence Indonesia's position in global forums, including efforts to resolve the conflict in Gaza, which is a major focus of Indonesian diplomacy.

Going forward, the question is how far Trump's rhetoric will affect US-Norway relations and the credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize in the eyes of the international public. What is clear is that this incident once again shows that prestigious awards do not always align with a leader's political narrative.