Eric Trump has led the calls for his father, President Donald Trump, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize after overseeing the “historic” peace deal for Gaza agreed between Israel and Hamas.
The president was briefed on the news by his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in the middle of a press conference at the White House on Wednesday, and subsequently announced on Truth Social: “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan.
“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly!
“This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!”
The deal was met with jubilation in the region, not least in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, where the families of captives chanted “Nobel Prize to Trump” in celebration.
The president’s son spread the same message online, posting on X: “Retweet if you believe Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.” The post had attracted more than 19,000 retweets at the time of writing.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick agreed, posting: “Undoubtedly, President Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Former White House adviser Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast that it would be a “joke” if Trump does not take home the prize for which he has loudly lobbied for years.
MAGA pundit Clay Travis, like Lutnick, reposted the president’s announcement and said: “If this holds, Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Perhaps most gushing of all was Nate Morris, a Kentucky businessman running for the Senate on the Republican ticket, who declared: “President Trump doesn’t just deserve the Nobel Peace Prize for getting this deal across the finish line, they should rename the damn thing after him.”
Not everyone was convinced, however, with one left-wing activist posting an image of a pastor, the Rev. David Black, being pepper-sprayed by ICE agents at a demonstration in Broadview, Illinois, last month and commenting: “Anyone who thinks Trump will EVER be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is out of their mind.”
Ahead of the prize’s announcement on Friday, Trump was asked at the White House immediately after Rubio’s intervention whether he believed he would win it.
“I have no idea,” he answered. “I mean, look, I did settle – Marco will tell you – we did settle seven wars. We’re close to settling an eighth and I think we’ll end up settling the Russia situation, which is horrible.
“Seven thousand people died last week by the way, in Russia, between Russia and Ukraine. I think we’ll settle that so… I don’t think anybody in history has settled that many but perhaps they’ll find a reason not to give it to me.”
The president has actually been nominated for the prize 10 times, including by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in July, and it is possible the Norway-based committee could finally hand it to him.
However, as Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, has pointed out, one of the terms of founder Alfred Nobel’s will was that his prize should go to the person “who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations.” Just two weeks ago, Trump admonished the United Nations General Assembly in a fiery address that was littered with misleading claims.
“He has withdrawn the U.S. from the World Health Organization and from the Paris Accord on climate, he has initiated a trade war on old friends and allies,” she said.
“That is not exactly what we think about when we think about a peaceful president or someone who really is interested in promoting peace.”
Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, has meanwhile suggested that Trump’s aggressive lobbying campaign could also count against him.
“These types of influence campaigns have a rather more negative effect than a positive one,” he said. “Because we talk about it on the committee. Some candidates push for it really hard and we do not like it.
“We are used to working in a locked room without being attempted to be influenced. It is hard enough as it is to reach an agreement among ourselves, without having more people trying to influence us.”
Trump is also just one of 338 nominees this year, with 244 individuals and 94 organizations in contention, so he is not short of competition as he seeks to become the fifth U.S. president to be awarded the honor.
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