Fact check: Trump not banned from Nobel Peace Prize, viral rumor about disqualification is false

A viral post recently made waves online, claiming that US President Donald Trump had been permanently barred from ever winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The post featured what appeared to be a genuine press release from the Associated Press (AP), dated September 25, 2025, suggesting that the Nobel Prize committee had issued this decision after controversial remarks made by Trump in a UN speech.

The post is a hoax, and Trump has not been banned from the Nobel Peace Prize.

The false press release 

The viral post, titled “NPC BARRS TRUMP ACCOLADE,” claimed that Trump was disqualified for making controversial comments during his September 23, 2025 UN speech and for renaming the US Department of Defense as the “Department of War.” The release even included contact details for a “Hans Zeemer” at swisstimes.org, a suspicious domain.

However, there are several reasons why this announcement is clearly false:

• No official statement from the Nobel Committee: The Nobel Peace Prize process is confidential, and there’s no indication that the Nobel committee has ever made such a decision.
• AP style and contact details: The AP would never include such editorialized language, nor would they use random email addresses or suspicious domains like swisstimes.org.
• No media coverage: No credible news outlets reported on this supposed disqualification, further confirming it as a fake claim.
• The Nobel Prize process involves nominations by qualified individuals and is handled by committees in each category, like the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the Peace Prize. 
• The committee operates in a highly confidential manner, and no committee member has the authority to issue “permanent disqualifications” of any individual.

While Trump’s campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize has been publicly visible especially after his efforts to broker peace agreements during his presidency experts have been quick to point out that he is highly unlikely to ever win the prestigious award.

Why Trump’s lobbying efforts don’t help his cause

Trump has actively campaigned for the Peace Prize, even claiming during a UN speech that he deserved the award for “ending seven wars,” including conflicts between India and Pakistan. However, experts say that lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize often has a negative effect. According to Alfred Nobel’s will, the Peace Prize should go to the person who has “done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations.”