Donald Trump has secured multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize, a fact he and his supporters frequently highlight. But a crucial question remains: is anyone on the Norwegian Nobel Committee actually listening? The expert consensus suggests that while the nominations get him on the list, his candidacy is likely dismissed early in the deliberative process.
The nomination process is open; thousands of people, including parliamentarians and professors, can submit names. This means that getting nominated is not, in itself, an indicator of a candidate’s viability. The committee receives hundreds of nominations each year and quickly filters them down to a credible shortlist.
For a candidate like Trump, the filtering process would likely be swift. The committee would acknowledge the nomination for the Abraham Accords. Then, they would immediately assess his broader record against their core criteria: commitment to multilateralism, human rights, and international fraternity. It is on these points that his candidacy would falter.
His withdrawal from the Paris climate accord would be a major red flag. His attacks on international institutions would be another. His divisive rhetoric would be a third. As historian Theo Zenou noted, the qualities the committee looks for—reconciliation and cooperation—are “not words we associate with Donald Trump.”
So while the public and the media may be captivated by the fact of his nomination, the reality inside the committee room is likely very different. The nomination gets his file on the table, but a brief review of his record against the prize’s fundamental principles would almost certainly move it to the “rejected” pile. The buzz is happening everywhere except, it seems, in Oslo.