Netanyahu and Egypt's el-Sissi say Trump deserves Nobel Peace Prize

Well, as we heard, Egypt's president has told the U.S. president that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on securing a peace deal for Gaza. The U.S. president has publicly campaigned for the award, claiming to have settled several, I think seven, conflicts around the world. The winner will be announced on Friday in Norway. Donald Trump has long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize. I've ended seven unendable wars. Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements. But his claims are contested, with critics saying he does not deserve the prestigious award. The Nobel Peace Prize was based on the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. Each year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee reviews nominations and selects laureates in October. It honors those who make the biggest contributions to humanity for promoting peace, So first, let's look at Trump's peace record. He claims he's stopped seven wars across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. But many analysts have challenged that narrative. Some agreements were historic, but other disputes weren't full-scale wars. Some haven't stopped at all. And his role in others remains disputed. The peace he promised elsewhere is still a work in progress. Friends and foes alike have said he'd deserve the award if he ends the war in Ukraine without Regarding Gaza peace talks, Trump's diplomatic efforts have been lauded by many countries worldwide. Yet his support for the Israeli government in a war that has claimed more than 60,000 Palestinian lives has some critics saying the idea of awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize is ludicrous. But what about the other key criteria, disarmament and advancing fellowship between nations? Many critics see Trump's policies at home and abroad at odds with his core values. Trump proposed record military and defense spending, and even renamed the Defense Department to the Department of War. He laid claims to Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal. He cut off USAID funding and strained global ties with tariffs. So how likely is it he'll win the award? The process is confidential, but experts say Trump's chances are slim. And according to a recent poll, 76% of Americans do not think he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize and should not join the likes of Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. All right, so does Donald Trump deserve the Nobel Peace Prize? I want to pull in now Christine Bechtor Zandvik. She joins me. She's a research professor at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo. Christine, it's good to have you with us. Let's look at what's happening here. If the Gaza Peace Plan, if it holds, I mean, laughs, will President Trump, will he be in line with winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, such as Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr.? You know, if this peace holds, he will certainly be a contender in the years to come. For this year, the price has been, the decision has been made. But also, nobody has been nominated since the deadline in January. So until next week, when the nominations reopen, it hasn't really been technically possible to nominate anyone. So the heads of state who've claimed to have nominated Trump for things that have happened in 2025 have not. What about President Trump's own outspokenness about wanting to win this prize? I mean, it's unusual for a world leader to say that, at least publicly. Could that help him win the prize next year? Whether it could help or hinder, I'm not sure it really matters. We don't have a great experience in giving the prize to sitting heads of state. We gave it to the Ethiopian head of state in 2019, and he embarked on a two-year civil war against his own population. The Obama prize has widely been seen as a sort of a national embarrassment. But I do think that something has happened over the last couple of weeks, which is becoming quite noticeable, is that because Mr. Trump is so keen on this prize, we're no longer embarrassed. I mean, this is not a ridiculous prize. This is really seen, again, as a very prestigious prize. And if nothing else, I think we can thank Mr. Trump for this. Yeah, that's an interesting way of looking at it. We heard from the Nobel Committee today, reminding the world of the independence of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Is there pressure on Norway? I'm wondering if President Trump does not receive the award next year. Will he blame Norway? Well, for next year, he needs to be nominated. And a lot of things will happen in the world before then. So whatever happens in 2026, it's hard to predict. If there are real results from this plan and from other processes, his chances are obviously very good for 2026 or sometime in the future. But I think in terms of worrying about a backlash, I do think that we are a little bit terrified. It is a very unpredictable situation. On the other hand, this committee is fiercely independent. So whoever is the winner tomorrow at 11, it might be very unexpected. I know that many people would say that US President Donald Trump is a very polarizing figure. But if this peace plan does work, if a year from now, if we are talking about a lasting, a sustainable peace in the Middle East, isn't that something that everyone in the world should be wanting? Shouldn't the world be hoping that President Trump will be successful? I think we would like to keep himself motivated for a little bit more than one year. I think the lesson is really that it takes a number of years to see whether a peace plan really sticks or not. This has been horrific conflict. A plan is a different thing from a deal. So I think we're crossing fingers and waiting to see what will happen here. We have heard from some people in the last day or so saying that President Trump shouldn't just win the Nobel Prize, it should be renamed after him. We heard that from, I think it was a US Republican, the Republican Jewish Coalition said that in a statement. I mean, what do you make of that idea? Nobel Peace Prize, Trump Peace Prize. Well, that is certainly not going to happen. You know, this is a very old will from Alfred Nobel. It's part of a cluster of prizes. The Prize of Literature was awarded today. But if they would like a Trump Peace Prize, I suggest that they make one. Christine Begtor Zandvik, we appreciate your time and your interesting and insightful look at the Peace Prize. Thank you.