Donald Trump’s hopes of winning the Nobel Peace Prize appear dashed once again.
The president launched an unprecedented lobbying campaign to win last year’s award, arguing that he was a worthy candidate.
He lost to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, who then gifted her gold medal to Trump, sparking concerns that he could pull off such a coup again this year.
“I think the events of last year around the Nobel Peace Prize, and Maria Corina Machado then giving it to Trump, will affect some of the considerations they make,” Haakon Gjerloew, acting director of the Oslo Peace Research Institute, told Reuters, referring to the five-person jury.
“One of the committee’s concerns is whether giving this award to someone might put them under pressure from Donald Trump…I think the committee will consider whether the award does more harm than good.”
One name that is circulating is that of Pope Leo. The first American-born pope has repeatedly clashed with Trump, including over his war with Iran, and has become a staunch advocate for peace around the world.
“The pope represents much more than just a religious figure,” Karim Haggag, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, told Reuters. “He has established himself as a leading thought leader. »
A victory for the head of the Catholic Church would upset Trump, who called Leo “weak” and said he was “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s good that Iran has nuclear weapons.”
On Truth Social in April, Trump threatened that “an entire civilization would die tonight, never to be brought back.”
His comments shocked the world, including Leo, who criticized the president.
“Today, as we all know, there is also this threat against the entire Iranian people,” he told journalists gathered in Italy. “And that is truly unacceptable. There are certainly questions of international law here, but more than that, this is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole.”
Another name that would enrage the president is that of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to betting and prediction site Covers.com, which tracks Kalshi prices, the Canadian was trading Monday with an implied chance of 14 percent.
For Trump, he said, “That chance is close to zero.”
The United States and Canada have found themselves locked in an increasingly bitter trade war that has seen relations between the allies plummet to historic lows.
It remains to be seen whether the committee will choose a winner who will anger Trump or give him little reason to be angry.
Oeivind Stenersen, a historian who has written about the Nobel Peace Prize, told Reuters the committee may be forced to take a stand to protect the international system it celebrates.
“They are under some pressure … to be tough on Trump,” he said. “In this serious international situation, this year we call for a Peace Prize for the defense of liberal democracy, international law and human rights. »
Last year, Trump earned the prestigious award based on his mystifying claim to have ended a series of wars around the world.
He claimed to have ended conflicts between Israel and Iran, Israel and Hamas, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.
We didn’t have a fight to finish. Others lasted several days, and the leaders involved questioned Trump’s claims that he ended them.
Among them, he claimed that the United States had brokered peace between India and Pakistan, amid a long-running land dispute over the Kashmir region.
“Talks regarding cessation of military action took place directly between India and Pakistan, within existing channels established between the two militaries,” Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said, appearing to reject any suggestion that the United States was responsible for the breakdown in hostilities.
When he failed to win last year’s prize, Trump blamed Norway, even though the prize’s jury is independent of the country where it is based.
When Machado presented him with his award, the committee said it was non-transferable.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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