Emphasizing His Own Achievements to Assert His Candidacy
Nobel Committee: "Media Attention Is Separate from the Award Decision"
The 2025 Nobel Prize award week began on October 6 (local time) with the announcement of the Physiology or Medicine Prize, and global attention is now focused on the recipient of the Peace Prize, which will be announced on October 10. In particular, there is intense interest as the name of U.S. President Donald Trump has once again appeared among the candidates.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee received a total of 338 nominations for this year's Peace Prize, including 244 individuals. The nomination period closed on January 31, and, as per tradition, the Nobel Committee will keep the list of nominees confidential for 50 years.
President Trump considers himself a strong candidate for the award. He recently stated, "I ended seven wars during my term," and remarked that if he does not receive the Peace Prize, it would be "an insult to America." Trump has repeatedly claimed in the past that he is deserving of the Peace Prize.
His nomination was submitted by several countries. Cambodia, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan submitted letters of recommendation citing his mediation and diplomatic efforts, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally delivered a letter of recommendation. In South Korea, Park Sunwon, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, nominated Trump for his efforts toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and strengthening alliances.
However, the international community and Nobel Prize experts view Trump's chances of winning as low. The Peace Prize is awarded based on the spirit of international cooperation and multilateralism, but Trump has often prioritized "America First" in diplomacy, withdrawing from international organizations and causing conflicts with allied nations.
Nobel Prize historian Oyvind Stenersen said in an interview with AFP, "Trump is far from the values that the Nobel Peace Prize aspires to," criticizing that "his unilateral and exclusionary approach is contrary to the essence of the award."
Christian Berg Harpviken, Secretary of the Nobel Committee, stated, "While there is a lot of media attention, no external pressure influences the committee's deliberations," emphasizing that "all candidates are evaluated fairly."
This year, the Nobel Prizes are being announced in the following order: Physiology or Medicine on October 6, Physics on October 7, Chemistry on October 8, Literature on October 9, Peace on October 10, and Economics on October 13.
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