Fact Check: Did Gavin Newsom win the Nobel Peace Prize?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: California’s Governor Gavin Newsom found himself trending this week over a viral Facebook post that had many believing he’d just snagged a Nobel Peace Prize for “preventing an armed conflict” between California and Oregon.
The post came courtesy of Facebook user Andy Borowitz, who claimed the California governor was awarded the world’s most prestigious peace honor. The post also cheekily alleged that President Donald Trump was not amused and that the Nobel Committee supposedly handed him a laser-printed certificate of participation.
The post went viral, racking up tens of thousands of reactions. Comment sections filled up with congratulatory messages for Newsom.
Fact Check: False
Despite the frenzy, Gov Newsom did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. Andy Borowitz is a well-known satirical writer who’s been poking fun at politicians for decades.
Borowitz runs The Borowitz Report, which proudly bills itself as an “award-winning news satire column.” The blog even declares, “Published since 2001, The Borowitz Report is an award-winning news satire column read by millions in 175 countries.”
There was never a “California–Oregon conflict,” and Newsom’s not polishing a golden medal in Sacramento right now.
Furthermore, nobody knows whether he’s even in the running. The Nobel Committee keeps its nomination list under wraps for 50 years, and this year’s competition includes 338 candidates (244 individuals and 94 organizations).
Trump’s alleged Nobel obsession
While Newsom was going viral for a fake win, Trump has been pushing his own Nobel narrative for years. The president has publicly bragged about being nominated several times, claiming world leaders have put his name forward, including those from Pakistan and Israel. According to the BBC, Trump has insisted he deserves the award for “ending seven wars.”
Back in August, Norwegian outlet Dagens Naeringsliv reported that Trump allegedly called Norway’s finance minister, Jens Stoltenberg, out of the blue to talk about the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Out of the blue, while Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called,” the paper wrote, citing unnamed sources. “He wanted the Nobel Prize — and to discuss tariffs.”
When pressed by Reuters, Stoltenberg confirmed the call but said it was about economic cooperation and a chat Trump was set to have with Norway’s prime minister. “I will not go into further detail about the content of the conversation,” he said.
Regardless, Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said winners are chosen based on actual contributions to peace. “We take the complete picture into account,” Frydnes told the press. “The whole organization or the complete personality of that person matters, but what we first and foremost look at is what they have been actually achieving for the sake of peace.”
Gavin Newsom calls out Trump
While Newsom’s fake Nobel post was clearly satire, the California governor has lobbed his own shots at Trump over the honor.
In August, he called out the President for aggressively chasing the peace prize, calling him a man who “brings war, not peace.”
“He’s a wartime president. He’s the head of a war party — war on women, war on voting rights, war on Hispanics, war on this state, war on institutions,” Newsom said. “This guy’s trying to get a Nobel Peace Prize… He’s bringing war to the American people.”
As for the real Nobel Peace Prize, the official winner will be announced on October 10.
