Overview

• At a televised Aug. 26 Cabinet meeting, special envoy Steve Witkoff called President Donald Trump the “single finest” Nobel Peace Prize candidate in history, drawing applause from officials.
• Newsweek reported John Bolton’s assessment that Trump’s Nobel bid is in its “last throes,” arguing the Ukraine negotiations are collapsing after a hastily arranged Aug. 15 summit with Vladimir Putin produced no clear path forward.
• At least three of the five Norwegian Nobel Committee members have publicly criticized Trump, signaling resistance that complicates any 2025 award despite the White House push.
• Procedurally, nominations for the 2025 prize closed Jan. 31, nominees are kept confidential, and the laureate will be announced in October, limiting the impact of recent public endorsements.
• Foreign leaders and governments including Pakistan, Israel, and Cambodia say they have nominated or backed Trump, and Witkoff said Trump will chair an Aug. 27 White House meeting on post-war Gaza and meet Ukrainians this week.