Since the advent of Trump 1.0, the President of the United States of America has been serious about being the next recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Funny enough, this highly coveted trophy has been elusive to the U.S. president. But why?
Since the so-called Special Military Operation by Moscow in Ukraine, Russian President V. Putin has been framed as a leader with land-grabbing and imperialistic tendencies. Yes, his armed forces are in Ukraine, but, away from Russia, another president is using his country’s military might to fester trouble in different parts of the world.
For instance, Trump has stated countless times how important it is that he must get the resource-rich island of Greenland under the control of the United States, away from the control of Denmark. On the other hand, a president who has poised himself as a world peace-maker committed a blatant slap to the face of his Peace Laurel ambitions when he approved the unwarranted drone strikes that killed a top-ranking Iranian general in 2020.
In his words, “Last night, at my direction, the United States military successfully executed a flawless precision strike that killed the number-one terrorist anywhere in the world, Qasem Soleimani.” He went further to say, “Under my leadership, America’s policy is unambiguous: To terrorists who harm or intend to harm any American, we will find you; we will eliminate you. We will always protect our diplomats, service members, all Americans, and our allies.”
One of the tenets of choosing a peace-maker by the Norwegian Nobel Committee is that such a person must have the interest of world peace at heart. Such a person must be a promoter of world fraternity and of sound values and moral consistency, which the U.S. president seriously lacks.
With President Trump’s speech after assassinating Qasem Soleimani, it was obvious that his approach to issues was a fire-brigade one. His murdering of Soleimani—a sovereign nation’s army general—had grave repercussions. The aftermath of this assassination was Iran’s targeting of a U.S. base in Qatar during Operation Martyr Soleimani in 2020, and the ripple effect was an Iranian surface-to-air missile downing a Ukraine International Airlines flight, Flight PS752, minutes after taking off from Tehran.
Fifty-five Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents were among the 176 people killed in this national tragedy. Mr. Trump subtly ended up killing and harming diplomatic relationships between Iran, Canada, Ukraine, and other countries involved in the ripple incident.
Now let’s call the whole assassination a misstep. But then, during the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran, it was unwise of Mr. Trump to order strategic bombers to strike Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israel—sites that were certified free of nuclear armament production by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Please, who goes around seeking peace laurels while warmongering?
As if all this were not enough to diminish his chances of the laurel he so desires, recently he threatened fire and brimstone on Afghanistan if they did not relinquish control of the Soviet-built Bagram Military Base to the U.S. The U.S. justification for pulling out from Kabul was that they were done having American boots on Afghan soil. Does Trump really know that he is shooting himself in the foot?
Coupled with all this, he has amassed an armada in the Caribbean against what he has described as a counter-narcotics war against drug lords in Venezuela, even when all evidence says otherwise. The Caribbean is so heated up with the U.S. military against the Bolivarian (Venezuelan) military that U.S. fifth-generation fighter jets are on constant air interdiction missions. The Bolivarian military’s coastal defense and SAM batteries have been moved closer to U.S. naval assets, and their Sukhoi Su-30 MK2 and F-16s have been spotted doing fly-by shows of force over U.S. naval vessels.
This singular move by Mr. Trump risks turning the Caribbean Sea into a war theater.
There has never been a president so in love with trade wars as Mr. Trump. It’s either he’s slapping 50 percent trade tariffs on European or NATO allies or reneging on critical trade and economic agreements without cause.
Donald Trump’s presidency has been marked by aggressive trade wars that reshaped global commerce. He imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from China, the European Union, Canada, and Mexico, claiming to protect American industries. China faced hundreds of billions in tariffs, triggering retaliation that hurt U.S. farmers and manufacturers. Even allies were not spared, as steel and aluminum tariffs strained relationships. Trump’s “America First” policy disrupted global supply chains, fueled uncertainty, and forced countries worldwide to renegotiate trade terms or face economic retaliation from Washington.
For instance, China faced a 10%–25% tariff on over $370 billion worth of goods, leading to Chinese retaliatory tariffs on $110 billion of U.S. goods. He also imposed a blanket tariff of 10% on aluminum and 25% on steel, later extending 10–25% on select goods like wine, cheese, and aircraft from the EU. Canada saw tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, prompting Canada to impose equal tariffs on U.S. goods. Mexico faced tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, and promptly targeted U.S. pork, cheese, and whiskey in retaliation. Japan saw threats of auto tariffs up to 25%, though not fully implemented, and limited tariffs on steel and aluminum. Meanwhile, India lost U.S. trade preferences (GSP status), leading to effective tariff increases of 5–25% on various exports. Brazil and Argentina were slapped with 25% and 10% tariffs on steel and aluminum, respectively.
Away from trade wars, Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance severely damaged America’s image as a welcoming nation. His travel bans, visa restrictions, and threats to international students disrupted U.S. tertiary institutions, reduced global enrollment, and created fear among scholars. These policies undermined diversity, innovation, and academic collaboration, turning campuses once known for openness into symbols of exclusion and anxiety, while weakening America’s long-standing leadership in global education and research.
The last straw that broke his ambition—at least for the foreseeable future—was his decision to deploy the United States military into cities and suburbs to set up combat positions to fight an imaginary “enemy from within.”
This act of deploying military formations into cities to fight imaginary enemies from within is just a subtle means of entrenching himself in power. It is authoritarian and undemocratic for a country like the United States of America.
It isn’t rocket science why he hasn’t won a Nobel Peace Prize. It isn’t just about weighing in on isolated diplomacy like the Thai-Cambodia peace treaty. Those who don’t set out to win, but to consistently heal, transform, or protect humanity—not sabre-rattle—are the ones who stand on the tracks of clinching a Nobel laurel.
Precious Allwell is a Nigerian writer, journalist, and essayist whose works examine the intersections of politics, morality, and the environment in global affairs. His commentary offers a distinctive Global South perspective on power, diplomacy, and justice. He has contributed to BusinessDay Nigeria, The Republic Magazine, and The Davis Vanguard (USA), where his essays explore themes ranging from foreign policy and democracy to climate and militarism. Currently, he is venturing into podcasting focused on news analysis and global political insight, continuing his mission to bridge conscience, truth, and storytelling in contemporary journalism. He can be reached by email on previousallwell@gmail.com.
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Everyone knows Nobel Peace Prizes should go to people like Obama for doing nothing.
That could be why the prize has no meaning anymore…