Trump denounces Nobel Peace Prize decision after award goes to Navi Pillay

U.S. President Donald Trump denounced the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist and former U.N. human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay.

Speaking Friday at a rally in Syracuse, New York, Trump called the committee’s choice “a disgraceful and embarrassing decision” and said it had left “an indelible stain” on Norway. He told supporters that he had never heard of Pillay, briefly congratulated her, and argued that he should have received the prize.

Pillay, 85, was honored for her work advancing accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The committee praised her “exceptional courage and integrity” and said she had helped build a more comprehensive global legal order. Her career has included defending anti-apartheid activists, becoming the first Black woman to open a law practice in South Africa’s Natal Province, serving as a judge and working as the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.

Trump said the prize had been discredited by what he described as radical ideologues. He has repeatedly claimed credit for ending eight wars, although his role in resolving some of the disputes has been contested. Pillay later criticized Trump’s attacks on the International Criminal Court as “completely unlawful” and “negative and cruel.”