Kristian Berg Harpviken, secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the panel considers each nominee solely on their own merits, and media attention or public campaigns “have no impact on the discussions that are going on in the committee.”This statement comes as Donald Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has repeatedly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, an accolade his Democratic rival Barack Obama received to the surprise of many shortly after taking office in 2009.
The 79-year-old billionaire has repeatedly claimed he “deserves it,” citing that he ended six wars under his administration, even as conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine continue.
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Harpviken explained that while the committee notices which candidates are receiving media coverage, these reports do not influence the evaluation process. Each nomination is carefully reviewed based on the nominee’s achievements and contributions to peace.Trump has pointed out that foreign leaders, including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, have either nominated him or publicly supported his candidacy. However, the nomination deadline was January 31, just 11 days after Trump returned to office, meaning many endorsements came too late to be considered for this year.The Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose five members are appointed by the country’s parliament, maintains complete independence from political influence. In the past, it awarded the 2010 prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, despite warnings from the Norwegian government, demonstrating its impartiality.Trump reportedly even raised the issue of the Peace Prize during a phone call with Norway’s finance minister Jens Stoltenberg in July, while discussing tariffs, as reported by news agency AFP.
How the Nobel Peace Prize process works?
“To be nominated is not necessarily a great achievement. The great achievement is to become a laureate,” Harpviken said.The secretary explained that the list of eligible nominators is extensive, including members of parliament and cabinet ministers from every country, former laureates and some university professors. This year, the committee will select the winner from a longlist of 338 individuals and organisations, a list that is kept secret for 50 years. The most worthy candidates are then placed on a shortlist, with each evaluated by an expert.“When the committee discusses, it’s that knowledge base that frames the discussion. It’s not whatever media report has received the most attention in the last 24 hours,” said Harpviken, who guides the committee but does not vote.He added, “We are very aware that every year there are a number of campaigns, and we do our utmost to structure the process and the meetings in such a way that we are not unduly influenced by any campaign.”Experts point out that Trump’s chances of winning are low. Norway emphasizes multilateralism, a principle supported by Alfred Nobel, which contrasts with Trump’s “America First” policies. “This type of pressure usually turns out to be counter-productive,” said Halvard Leira, research director at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs.In August, three Nobel historians published an op-ed listing several reasons why Trump should not receive the award, including his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been waging war in Ukraine for the last three years.The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 10, and despite Trump’s repeated public claims and endorsements from foreign leaders, the committee appears unlikely to be swayed.
