Could Trump win a Nobel Peace Prize on Pak General Asim Munir's nomination?

The Nobel Committee follows clearly defined rules for who qualifies for the prize and who is eligible to nominate candidates. Here's what the rules say

US President Donald Trump’s lunch with Pakistan’s military chief, General Asim Munir, at the White House on Wednesday has sparked a debate, not only for its diplomatic undertones alone but also due to a startling development: Munir reportedly calling for Trump to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

 

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed that the meeting took place after General Munir proposed nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with helping avert a nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan. “This man [Munir] was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,” Trump told reporters after the meeting. “Modi, from the Indian side, and others. They were going at it, and they’re both nuclear countries. I got it stopped.”

 

 

While Trump framed the encounter as a diplomatic breakthrough, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Indian officials have repeatedly rejected this narrative. In a 35-minute call the same day, PM Modi clarified that India had not entered into any trade discussions related to Operation Sindoor and reiterated that India firmly rejects all forms of third-party mediation when it comes to Pakistan.

 

Can Asim Munir nominate Donald Trump?

While General Munir’s gesture has captured headlines, it raises a critical question: Is he even eligible to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize?

 

Under the guidelines set by the Nobel Foundation, a nomination is valid only if it comes from individuals belonging to specific categories. These include current heads of state and national government officials, members of national assemblies, university professors in relevant disciplines, and past recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize, among others.

 

As a serving military officer, Munir does not meet these criteria. His nomination, therefore, would not be recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Army chiefs of any country are not eligible to nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize unless they also happen to hold another qualifying role under the Nobel Foundation’s official rules. However, Trump could be nominated by a Pakistani official who does qualify.

 

Additionally, the Nobel Committee does not confirm the identity of nominees or nominators, and all nomination records are kept confidential for 50 years. A public statement or media report of a nomination carries no official standing unless verified after that period.

 

Steps of the Nobel Peace Prize nomination

• Nominations are submitted by eligible nominators (like, academics, politicians, past laureates)
• The deadline for nominations typically falls at the end of January each year
• Once nominations close, shortlisted nominees are then scrutinised by advisers from the Norwegian Nobel Institute
• Norwegian Nobel Committee is made up of five members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament
• A shortlist of approximately 20 to 30 candidates is created from the pool of nominees
• Shortlisted nominees are scrutinised by Nobel Institute advisers, including academics and foreign affairs experts
• A final decision is made in early October
• Although unanimity is preferred, a simple majority vote is used if consensus cannot be achieved.

 

Nominations for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize closed on January 31 this year. So any nomination will have to wait until next year.

 

A total of 338 candidates have been nominated this year, including 244 individuals and 94 organisations. This marks a sharp increase from 286 in 2024 but still falls short of the record 376 nominations received in 2016.

 

Donald Trump’s Nobel Prize ambitions

Trump’s desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize is nothing new. Since his first term, he has often voiced frustration about not receiving the accolade. In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, he remarked, “They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize… I deserve it, but they will never give it to me.”

 

Despite criticism over his foreign policy stances, particularly his perceived alignment with Russia during the Ukraine conflict, Trump has continued to pitch himself as a peacemaker, pointing to diplomatic efforts in West Asia and Korea as evidence of his eligibility.

 

Four US Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the past:

1. Theodore Roosevelt (1906)
2. Woodrow Wilson (1919)
3. Jimmy Carter (2002) 
4. Barack Obama (2009)

In his acceptance speech, Obama himself acknowledged that his achievements were modest compared to previous laureates. Whether Trump can join that list remains uncertain, not least because his latest nomination does not appear to be procedurally valid.