Trump Denounces Nobel Peace Prize Winner as 'Mystery Person,' Claims He Deserves Multiple Awards

Former President Donald Trump launched a scathing critique of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay, dismissing her as a "mystery person" whom he had "never heard of." Trump voiced his strong disapproval at a rally in Syracuse, New York, and in a prolonged post on his Truth Social account.

Pillay, a South African jurist and former UN high commissioner for human rights, was awarded the prize for her work in promoting peace and international law. Trump characterized the decision as "disgraceful and embarrassing," referring to Pillay as a "liberal person who works at the United Nations" and asserting that the organization provided him no assistance during his presidency.

Trump contended that the United States, under his leadership, should have received eight Nobel Peace Prizes for his role in settling conflicts. He stated, "We should have had eight Nobel Prizes for each war." Trump has frequently credited himself with preventing eight wars during his term and expressed confidence in stopping two more in Iran and Ukraine.

He further condemned the Nobel committee, labeling them "a handful of radical ideologues who are anti-democracy and, really, enemies of civilization." He warned the committee, located in Norway, "We will not forget."

On Truth Social, Trump reiterated his unfamiliarity with Pillay, adding, "In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her!" He also accused her of hating Israel. He then dedicated a significant portion of his post to restating his qualifications for the award, declaring the Nobel "Peace" Prize "forever discredited by a handful of Radical Ideologues who are Anti-Democracy, and Enemies of Civilization!"

Pillay, in response to her award, appeared to taunt Trump in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter. After receiving applause, she joked, "If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump." The announcement of Pillay's award is seen by some as a rebuke to both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who have both faced criticism from a UN commission led by Pillay that found Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

Israel's foreign ministry reacted sharply to Pillay's award, stating it legitimized "anti-Israel hatred" and that Joseph Goebbels would be "applauding from hell." The ministry accused the Nobel commission of awarding its highest honor to a "bigot who built her career around inventing and propagating blood libels against the one and only Jewish state."

Pillay chaired the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, which concluded a year prior that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza with the intent to destroy Palestinians. The commission also alleged that Israeli leadership had incited the commission of genocide. Israel has denied these charges and refused to cooperate with the commission.

Trump has previously expressed his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize, with Pakistan nominating him again this year for his role in advancing peace in South Asia. Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 prize, gifted her medal to Trump, though the Nobel Committee stated the honor itself is non-transferable.

Pillay, 85, received the news while attending the Nuremberg Forum in Germany. She expressed that applause at that venue, which discusses international law, meant a great deal to her. The Norwegian committee stated that the award aimed to strengthen international law amid rising global conflicts and political attacks on legal institutions.