Trump, Allies Use Possible Israel-Iran Ceasefire To Push Him For Nobel Peace Prize

Topline

President Donald Trump and his allies are using the tentative ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran as a reason to argue he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize, an award Trump has been angling to receive for years.

President Donald Trump arrives at Huis ten Bosch Palace for a dinner during the NATO Summit 2025 on … More June 24, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. (Photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., nominated Trump on Tuesday for the prize, crediting Trump with “preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet,” referring to the U.S. strikes against Iran’s three nuclear facilities over the weekend, though the impact of the attacks is unclear.

Trump on Tuesday also posted to his Truth Social account a tweet by right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk declaring that he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize, while Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. claimed it would amount to “affirmative action” if Trump didn’t receive the award when former President Barack Obama did in 2019 for promoting nuclear nonproliferation and reaching out to the Muslim world.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of the most vocal hawks pushing for American intervention in Iran, told CNN on Tuesday: “if we can get Iran to change their behavior, then President Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize on steroids.”

Trump clearly wants the prize—he’s mentioned it publicly dozens of times over the years, The New York Times noted, and he’s complained, as recently as last week, that he doesn’t think he will get it.

“I should have gotten it four or five times . . . they won’t give me a Nobel Peace Prize because they only give it to liberals,” he told reporters Friday (three of the four presidents to win the Nobel Peace Prize are Democrats).

Trump, in arguing he should be awarded the prize, has cited several agreements between other countries he’s claimed to broker, including a deal to end the India-Pakistan crisis, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has denied Trump was involved in, and the Abraham Accords of 2020, a diplomatic agreement between Israel and several Arab states the U.S. helped negotiate during Trump’s first term.

He also noted in a Friday Truth Social post that his administration helped broker a peace treaty between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, writing “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.”

Tangent

Carter is running for a Senate seat in Georgia, where an endorsement from Trump could improve his chances of beating his competitors.

Who Else Has Nominated Trump For The Nobel Peace Prize?

Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko nominated Trump last year, telling The Telegraph he believed it would compel Trump to broker a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia, but Merezhko withdrew the nomination this week, accusing him of losing focus on the Russia-Ukraine war as his attention appears to shift to the Middle East. Pakistan also nominated Trump for the 2026 prize, crediting him with helping dial down its conflict with India earlier this year.

Has Trump Been Nominated For The Prize Before?

Yes, he was nominated in 2018, 2020 and 2021 for various diplomatic achievements, including efforts to broker a peace agreement between North and South Korea and his role in negotiating an economic deal between Serbia and Kosovo.

How Is The Nobel Peace Prize Selected?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, made of five members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament, selects laureates. In past years, up to three individuals or organizations have shared the peace prize in a single year.

When Will The Nobel Peace Prize Be Awarded?

The 2025 laureate or laureates will be announced Oct. 10, and the award ceremony will take place Dec. 10.

Who Else Is In The Running For A 2025 Nobel Peace Prize?

A total of 338 candidates, including 244 individuals and 94 organizations, according to the Nobel Peace Prize website. It’s unclear if Trump is in the running, as the committee does not confirm the names of nominees. Merezhko’s nomination was made before the Jan. 31 submission deadline, but it’s unclear if anyone else nominated Trump for this year’s award.

Which Presidents Have Won Nobel Peace Prizes Previously?

Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, Jimmy Carter in 2002 and Barack Obama in 2009.

Key Background

Trump ordered airstrikes against three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend, prompting a retaliatory attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday. Overnight on Monday, Trump announced a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Iran as fighting stretched into a 13th day, but it was unclear whether the two sides would stick to the agreement. Meanwhile, a classified military report released Tuesday found the U.S. attacks only set Iran’s nuclear program back “a few months,” according to multiple reports, despite Trump’s claims the strikes completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear program.