New York: US President Donald Trump has again credited himself for ending the conflict between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, as he asserted that Norway controls the Nobel Peace Prize, an honour he claims he deserves for ending eight wars and saving millions of lives.
He also said that while he may not care about the prize, he does care about saving lives.
“I don’t care about the Nobel Prize… A very fine woman felt that I deserved it and really wanted me to have the Nobel Prize. And I appreciate that. If anybody thinks that Norway doesn’t control the Nobel Prize, they’re just kidding. They have a board, but it’s controlled by Norway, and I don’t care what Norway says,” Trump told reporters after attending a college football championship game in Miami Monday.
Last week, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Trump at the White House, which he described as a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.
The president also said that he has “saved tens of millions of lives”.
“If you look at India, Pakistan…two nuclear powers. You look at so many of the countries that were in a 30, in some cases a 35-year-war, I got it done. We stopped eight wars, and maybe we’ll be stopping the ninth very soon,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for stopping the India-Pakistan conflict, a claim he has now made about 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two nations had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after talks mediated by Washington.
India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
Trump has also said that no one in history is more deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize than him, and has criticised former US President Barack Obama for receiving the award in 2009 shortly after assuming office, even though he “didn’t do anything”.
The president is scheduled to deliver a special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Wednesday, where he will also meet foreign leaders and business executives.
On Thursday, on the margins of the World Economic Forum, Trump will participate in the “Board of Peace Charter announcement”, where nations would be invited to sign the charter, joining the body aimed at Gaza’s redevelopment under his comprehensive plan to end the conflict.
Trump has invited several global leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to join the Board of Peace, seen as a rival to the United Nations, that will work towards bringing lasting peace to Gaza and embark on a “bold new approach” to resolve “global conflict”.
Responding to a question that French President Emmanuel Macron has declined to join his Board of Peace, Trump said, “Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon. So you know, that’s all right… I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join if he said that. You’re probably giving it to me a little bit differently, but if he actually did say that… he’s going to be out of the office in a few months.”
Trump said he has also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the Board.
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