Video clips from a White House press briefing earlier this year have resurfaced, showing Trump repeating his claim that he had ended “eight wars.”
At 79, the Republican has frequently taken aim at the former president, now 64, particularly over Obama’s Nobel recognition.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2009, less than nine months into his first term. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” especially his work on nuclear nonproliferation and foreign relations.
Trump, however, has never received the award, despite openly stating that he believes he earned it by ending “eight wars”—a claim that critics have disputed.
During a White House briefing in January, in a video now circulating again on social media, Trump said:
“Whether people like Trump or don’t like Trump, I settled eight wars.
“Big ones. Some going on for 36 years, 32 years, 31 years, 28 years, 25 years. Some just getting ready to start like India and Pakistan.
“I got it done in rapid order without nuclear weapons. I can’t think of anyone in history who should get the Nobel Prize more than me, and I don’t want to be bragging but nobody else settled wars!”
His remarks continued:
“Obama got the Nobel Prize, he had no idea why. He still has no idea. He walks around and says, ‘I got the Nobel Prize’. Why did he get a Nobel Prize?
“He got it almost immediately upon attaining office and he didn’t do anything and he was a bad president.
“So, uh, I mean you should get the Nobel Prize for every war you stop, major wars. These were wars that nobody thought could be stopped.
“President Putin called me, he said about two of the wars he’s been trying to stop them for 10 years, he wasn’t able to do it. He couldn’t believe it. So in theory you should get the Nobel Prize for every war you stop. Every one of them was major.”
Trump concluded:
“But I don’t care about that. What I care about is saving lives. I’ve saved tens of millions of lives.”
Steven Cheung, White House Director of Communications, previously argued that politics played a role in Trump not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
He stated: “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace. President Trump will continue making peace deals around the world, 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.”
Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes addressed the selection process when asked about Trump’s claims.
“In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee has seen many types of campaign, media attention,” Frydnes said. “We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year from people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace.
“This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel,” he added.
