President Trump returned to a familiar line of attack on Friday morning and Saturday night, castigating the Norwegian Nobel Committee for awarding the 2026 Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, a South African human rights lawyer and international judge.
Mr. Trump, who has openly campaigned for the honor to be bestowed on himself, made his case in a nearly 600-word Truth Social post at 11:39 p.m. on Friday, arguing that he had settled eight wars and “should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1.”
He called the decision “an indelible stain on Norway.”
Hours earlier, he shared a post describing Ms. Pillay as “an unabashed hater of America and Israel.”
By Saturday morning, Mr. Trump condensed his grievances into a single paragraph, in which he listed the wars he said he settled; the return of the Israeli hostages; the capture of Venezuela’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro; and the halting of Iran’s nuclear program before concluding: “Yet, with all of that I, or the United States of America, did not get the Noble Peace Prize. WOW!” he wrote.
However, several of the wars that Mr. Trump cited remain unresolved, including those between Israel and Hamas and between Israel and Iran. Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, for instance, recently bristled at Mr. Trump’s claim that he settled conflict between India and Pakistan, saying the United States was not involved in their cease-fire.
The prize has become a recurring touchstone for how Mr. Trump sees his foreign-policy legacy. This year, the committee’s choice drew a sharp contrast with his administration’s approach to international conflict and institutions. The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
In its announcement on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was honoring Ms. Pillay for her efforts to uphold a system of international law that is increasingly under attack.
“In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law — national and international — underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts nonviolently,” the committee said.
Ms. Pillay served as a judge in her home country and on international courts investigating war crimes, and later as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She also led a United Nations panel that concluded that the Israeli government had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a finding Israel has rejected.
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on judges of the International Criminal Court, where Ms. Pillay once served. Ms. Pillay is not under U.S. sanctions.
Last year’s winner, María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, responded to Mr. Trump’s wish to have the award by presenting him with her medal in January. He later called it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
For her part, Ms. Pillay learned of the award while attending the Nuremberg Forum, an international law gathering in Germany.
While addressing an applauding crowd, she offered a nod to the president’s long pursuit of the prize: “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump.”
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