Fact Check: Is Donald Trump disqualified from the Nobel Peace Prize race?

WASHINGTON, DC: Talk has been swirling about President Donald Trump chances of winning the Nobel Prize this year, which will be announced on Friday, October 10. But speculation also grew that he might have been disqualified because his nominations reportedly came after the submission deadline. Here’s the truth.

Claim: Donald Trump was disqualified from the Nobel Peace Prize

Donald Trump has long claimed credit for preventing a potential war between India and Pakistan in May, saying he threatened both countries with tariffs if they engaged in conflict. He claimed to have given them 24 hours to de-escalate but said the situation eased within four hours after a phone call.. 

On June 20, Pakistan announced plans to nominate Donald Trump for his “decisive leadership” during the India-Pakistan standoff. Later, a Republican congressman nominated Trump for his efforts in brokering a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed their support.

In August, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet also said he nominated Trump for mediating a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia.

The rumors about Trump’s disqualification stemmed from the claim that the deadline for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize nominations was January 31, implying his nominations were too late to count. 

Fact Check: Donald Trump is not disqualified

New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney announced on December 11 that she had nominated Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Tenney said her nomination recognized their roles in the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements that normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab nations in 2020.

“Without their work, terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC would still pose a massive threat to civilians in the Middle East and around the world,” Tenney said in her statement.

“In a time of global turmoil, the bold and unwavering efforts of these leaders offer hope for lasting peace in the Middle East and beyond,” she added.

Although several nominations for Trump came in after the deadline, Tenney’s submission was filed on time — meaning he remains eligible for the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

Donald Trump thanks supporters for Nobel bid

On October 7, Donald Trump sent a letter to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum on the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks, thanking them for appealing to the Norwegian Nobel Committee on his behalf.

The group had written to the committee, saying that after two years of suffering, they believed Trump’s actions had brought the region closer to peace.