Trump backs scathing attack on Nobel Committee after Navi Pillay wins Peace Prize
WASHINGTON,DC: President Donald Trump, on Friday, October 9, amplified a fierce backlash against the Nobel Committee after it selected South African jurist Navi Pillay for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
The criticism centres on Pillay’s leadership of a United Nations inquiry into the Gaza conflict, whose findings have drawn strong objections from Israel and Trump’s allies.
The US president shared a statement condemning the award, even as Pillay made a light-hearted remark about his long-running pursuit of the honour.
Donald J. Trump ReTruthed Schoenlaw: Today the Nobel Committee shamed itself beyond repair and demeaned the once great Nobel Peace Prize by giving it to the UN’s Navi Pillay. Pillay is an unabashed hater of America and Israel. In her position she celebrated terrorists and rewarded Hamas. She conducted a phony “investigation” claiming to find that Israel committed genocide and urging prosecution. She has no credibility in any normal sphere and has never done a thing to foster peace. Just the opposite. But what could be expected from a committee that previously gave the once coveted peace prize to Yasser Arafat? President Trump gave us the Abraham Accords, which the world said would be impossible and is now expanding them! He brought home the hostages when all seemed hopeless! He is making best efforts to end the Russia/Ukraine war, to stop Iran, the number one sponsor of international terrorism, and he is trying to rebuild Gaza despite the terrorists’ best efforts to control it. The list goes on and on. These are the kinds of things the Nobel Peace Prize was intended to recognize and reward!!! realDonaldTrump ( TS: Oct 9 2026, 9:25 AM ET )
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 9, 2026
Trump shares blistering criticism
Trump used his social media platform to repost a statement from the Schoen Law Firm attacking the Nobel Committee’s decision to honour Pillay.
The statement accused the committee of damaging the reputation of its Peace Prize by selecting a jurist whose work has been sharply critical of Israel.
It described Pillay as hostile to both the United States and Israel and questioned her record on promoting peace.
The repost also targeted the United Nations commission that Pillay led, dismissing its investigation into Israel’s conduct in Gaza as illegitimate and objecting to its call for accountability.
“Today the Nobel Committee shamed itself beyond repair; Pillay is an unabashed hater of America and Israel,” the statement said, accusing the committee of turning the award into a political instrument.
It also invoked the Nobel Committee’s past decision to award the prize to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, using that choice to question the institution’s judgement.
Trump has repeatedly argued that his own diplomatic efforts and involvement in international conflicts should have earned him the Peace Prize.
He had not issued a separate, detailed statement in his own words about Pillay’s selection at the time of the repost.
Pillay is a South African jurist of Indian heritage who chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 2021 to 2025.
The commission examined events and conduct connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Its findings concerning Israel’s military campaign in Gaza became a major source of international dispute, with Israeli officials rejecting its conclusions.
Amazing moment. Navi Pillay has received the Nobel Peace Prize ! https://t.co/HL3r1PJzLO We are at the Nuremberg Court; I cannot think of a stronger symbol for her Nobel prize. We are all so thrilled! This is her first reactions upon hearing the news: https://t.co/Crbj6XdiyQ
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) October 9, 2026
Pillay jokes about sharing prize
The criticism from Trump came after Pillay herself made a playful reference to the US president while learning about her award.
Pillay was attending a legal gathering in Nuremberg, Germany, when the Nobel announcement reached her.
As those around her applauded, she joked about the president’s repeated complaints that he had been overlooked for the honour.
“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” she said, prompting laughter from the audience in a viral video.
If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner. Her role in the relentless, politically motivated demonization of Israel and promotion of the genoLIE speaks volumes. Awarding Pillay the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t a recognition of justice. It’s the grotesque weaponization of an award to legitimize anti-Israel hatred and prejudice. Now that the Nobel commission has rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century, Joseph Goebbels is certainly applauding from hell.
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 9, 2026
Meanwhile, Israel’s Foreign Ministry also reacted angrily to Pillay’s selection, issuing a statement attacking both her record and the decision to honour her.
The ministry invoked Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels in its criticism and accused the award decision of giving legitimacy to hostility toward Israel.
“If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn’t just be a contender. She’d be a frontrunner,” the ministry said.
It further argued that the Nobel recognition was not an endorsement of justice but an attempt to legitimise anti-Israel prejudice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned Pillay’s Nobel recognition, accusing her of promoting “blood libels” against Israel.
He further connected her work to allegations involving ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, arguing that the award legitimized what he called a “travesty of justice.”
