Opinion: Trump Deserves Nobel Peace Prize

By Mark Vargas, Newsmax Columnist, Editor-in-Chief, Illinois Review
Originally published in Newsmax

From the Mideast to South and East Asia, Central and East Africa, and the Balkans, President Donald Trump is pursuing a mission to promote stability and peace throughout the world.

And while iconic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. championed global peace, President Trump stands apart — unlike any other leader in our lifetime.

And he does so by employing his commanding presence and unmatched negotiating skills to bring that vision closer to reality.

Though many have spoken of peace, it’s taken a results-oriented billionaire businessperson like Trump to come closest to achieving it.

That is why a Louisiana-based Indian Tribe is nominating President Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, using their status as a sovereign nation to meet the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s nomination criteria — highlighting his “role in advancing global peace amid international conflicts and economic uncertainty.”

“President Donald Trump will be remembered as one of the most influential world leaders in history, recognized for his unwavering commitment to global leadership and peace,” said Marshall Pierite, Chairman of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana in a press release on Monday.

Chairman Pierite continued:

“By brokering the Abraham Accords, facilitating economic normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, negotiating the peace treaty between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and mediating ceasefires between India and Pakistan and between Israel and Iran, no world leader has dedicated more time and effort to promote global peace than President Donald Trump.”

Very recently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu surprised President Trump with a letter that he had sent to the Nobel Prize Committee nominating him for the peace prize. During a meeting at the White House, the prime minister handed the president an envelope and praised Trump for his leadership and “pursuit of peace and security” globally.

The president has also been nominated by Norwegian politicians, a Swedish Member of Parliament, a Finnish Member of the European Parliament, Australian lawmakers, U.S. Congressmen, the Pakistan government, an Israeli-born professor, Israeli scientists, a Ukrainian lawmaker, an Indian Tribe and now the Israeli Prime Minister himself.

Since 2018, President Trump has received at least 10 Nobel Peace Prize nominations, although the process is secret — placing him among the most frequently nominated individuals in world history for this prestigious international honor.
By comparison, Mahatma Gandhi was nominated five times, and Martin Luther King Jr. received two nominations — winning in 1964.

In 2009, former President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize despite a presidency marked by expanded military engagement and global conflict.

During his administration, U.S. troop levels increased in Iraq, and airstrikes resumed across multiple regions including Libya, Syria, Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia.

The Obama administration also transferred $1.7 billion in cash to Iran — a regime long recognized as openly hostile to American interests and national security.

During his first term, President Trump fulfilled a campaign promise by ordering the withdrawal of troops and significantly reducing the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq as combat operations were scaled back.

Through the Abraham Accords, President Trump forged historic diplomatic and economic ties in the Mideast, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations.

Morocco and Sudan later joined the agreement, marking a significant breakthrough — the first real sign of peace after decades of conflict and division.

In 2019, President Trump defied global expectations by brokering a historic meeting between North and South Korea to discuss denuclearization — an achievement many once deemed impossible.

In 2020, President Trump brokered a landmark agreement between Serbia and Kosovo aimed at fostering peace and economic cooperation in the Balkans.

The two nations had been at odds since their 1998 conflict, which claimed over 13,000 lives and sparked a major humanitarian crisis.

In May of 2025 — during his second term as president, Trump intervened and resolved a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan — averting a potential nuclear conflict and international nightmare.

President Trump has also worked to promote peace and resolve the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, as well as Israel and Iran — wars that have tragically claimed the lives of many innocent civilians, including women and children.

No one in history has done more in just five years to advance global peace and stability than President Trump. His unprecedented number of Nobel Peace Prize nominations stands as clear evidence of that achievement.
While former President Obama received the prize, his tenure made the world more dangerous – alienating allies and emboldening adversaries, which contributed to increased global instability.

As the Norwegian Nobel Committee reviews the 2026 nominations, they must remember that the prize is awarded to those who truly deserve and have earned it.

Choosing wisely will make the world not only safer but significantly better off.