WASHINGTON (TNND) — Even though former President Donald Trump missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize this year, the award’s winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, dedicated the honor to him. The dedication came shortly after Trump negotiated a long-awaited peace deal between Israel and Hamas, ending one of the world’s latest long-running conflicts.
A Look Back: U.S. Presidents Who’ve Won the Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is considered one of the most prestigious global honors. Only four U.S. presidents have received it.
The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901. Just five years later, President Theodore Roosevelt received it for mediating the peace treaty that ended the war between Russia and Japan. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson was recognized for founding the League of Nations, the precursor to today’s United Nations.
It would be 83 years before another American president earned the award. In 2002, former President Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Camp David Accords, which established peace between Egypt and Israel in 1978, and for his extensive humanitarian work after leaving office.
Then in 2009, President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize just eight months into his first term.
Obama’s Controversial Award
Obama’s award raised eyebrows around the world. The Nobel Committee didn’t cite any specific examples of things Obama has done, they more so praised his overall message and vision. The Committee said they supported his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
In his acceptance speech, Obama acknowledged the controversy, saying he was at “the beginning, and not the end” of his efforts on the world stage. The irony wasn’t lost on many, at the time, the U.S. was still engaged in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which had led to significant civilian casualties.
Trump’s Push for Global Peace
While Trump has not received a Nobel Peace Prize, his supporters argue that his foreign policy accomplishments rival those of past winners.
During his first term, Trump’s most historic diplomatic success was the Abraham Accords, a landmark agreement that normalized relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. It marked the first Arab-Israeli normalization deal in more than 25 years, opening the door to expanded trade, tourism, and regional stability.
Now in his second term, Trump has continued to make peace a cornerstone of his foreign policy. Over the past nine months, he’s brokered several high-profile international agreements.
According to the White House, Trump recently hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, leading to a joint declaration for peace after decades of fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a territory historically controlled by ethnic Armenians but located within Azerbaijan.
He also mediated talks between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in commitments to troop withdrawals, joint security cooperation, and a shared economic framework aimed at boosting investment.
In addition, the Trump administration has been involved in negotiating ceasefires between India and Pakistan, as well as Thailand and Cambodia, two regions historically fraught with border and resource disputes.
While Trump’s peace deals have sparked debate over their durability and impact, even his critics acknowledge his unique approach to diplomacy, favoring direct engagement and high-stakes negotiation over traditional diplomatic channels.
As the Nobel Peace Prize continues to symbolize global efforts toward unity and reconciliation, the question remains: how will history remember Trump’s diplomatic legacy?
