Michelle ThompsonDonald Trump’s aggressive push to secure a Nobel Peace Prize should not be the reason to reject him; far more serious reasons make him clearly unfit for the award.
Among the many factors, he has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an organization that for decades saved millions from hunger and disease while promoting democracy and the rule of law. On his inauguration day, Trump condemned USAID as “not aligned with American interests” and accused its staff of destabilizing world peace—an act that alone should disqualify him.
Arguably, the true deserving candidate for the Nobel would be USAID itself. Since its establishment under John F. Kennedy in 1961, the agency has advanced global health, education, food security, and democratic development, addressing root causes of instability for over 60 years—until Trump systematically destroyed it.
While campaigning for awards is not inherently wrong, Trump’s efforts are tainted by self-interest, conflict-mongering, and a craving for cult-like adulation. He pressured world leaders, such as Benjamin Netanyahu and India’s Narendra Modi, to support his nomination, even asking Modi to falsely claim that Trump had resolved a military conflict—when Modi refused, Trump retaliated with a punitive 50% tariff on India, pushing it toward China. No prize recognizes such deliberately destructive actions.
Trump’s aides lavishing praise on him reflect the sycophancy typical of authoritarian regimes, where loyalty replaces truth. He routinely suppresses honest advice, distorts scientific evidence, and punishes those who challenge him. Steven Witkoff, his international representative, even publicly described him as “the finest candidate since this Nobel award was ever talked about,” echoing the blind devotion seen in brainwashed characters in The Manchurian Candidate.
Trump claims he is not lobbying for the prize, but his actions contradict this. His resentment mirrors past grievances over not winning an Emmy for The Apprentice or Barack Obama receiving the Nobel, often escalating into harmful political behavior, such as the January 6 insurrection.
While his offensive remarks and trade policies toward Norway have caused diplomatic friction, these are secondary compared to his broader destructive record.
The fundamental reason he should be denied the Nobel is far graver: Trump has actively enabled war, famine, disease, and death worldwide. He supported Netanyahu’s war in Gaza, blocked conditions on U.S. military aid, proposed exploitative development schemes in Gaza for personal profit, undermined ceasefire efforts in Ukraine by siding with Putin, and threatened military action over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and even Canada.
Trump has staged false peace agreements for personal publicity, including between Azerbaijan and Armenia, India and Pakistan, and Rwanda and the DRC, while enabling famine in Gaza and Sudan. His elimination of USAID and cuts to emergency aid have worsened global starvation, potentially causing over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030, according to The Lancet.
Domestically, Trump gutted the NIH and CDC, cut $2.6 billion in federal research funding from Harvard, ignored gun violence, and failed to respond to deadly attacks on public health institutions.
In sum, Trump embodies the destructive forces described in the Book of Revelation: war, famine, disease, and death. He is the antithesis of peace, making him wholly unfit for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Emily Martinez
