Rep. Andy Barr latest to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize after Gaza deal

WASHINGTON — Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday “in recognition of his extraordinary record of diplomatic achievement,” following a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas that will begin with the release of all hostages from Gaza early next week.

Barr argued in a letter to Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, that no “world leader has done more to advance peace and prosperity in the world than President Donald Trump.”

“On October 8, 2025, President Trump announced a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas that will result in the release of all Israeli hostages from the horrific October 7,2023 attacks, the return of Palestinian prisoners, and the partial military withdrawal of Israel from Gaza,” Barr recounted.

“While countless efforts by American and international leaders over decades have failed to achieve lasting progress, this agreement reflects the President’s tireless commitment to restoring stability and safeguarding lives in one of the world’s most volatile regions.”

Israel and Hamas agreed late Wednesday to the first phase of the 20-point plan, which will release 20 living hostages from the Gaza Strip along with nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

That will be followed by a second phase in which an international board and an independent peacekeeping force will take control of Gaza, while Hamas is disarmed and the Israeli military withdraws.

Barr’s letter also cited successful peace negotiations on four different continents involving the Trump administration, including “agreements to end hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Iran and Israel, and Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

“Two of those countries, Pakistan and Cambodia, have also formally requested that President Trump be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in bringing conflicts involving their countries to a peaceful resolution,” the Kentucky Republican noted.

Frydnes, however, has told the Norwegian tabloid VG that the final decision about who would receive the award was made Monday ahead of an announcement at 5 a.m. ET Friday, according to Bloomberg.

Barr is the second member of Congress to nominate Trump for the Nobel, after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) also wrote a letter to the Oslo-based committee.

A separate bill, which Barr will introduce in Congress, would further direct the State Department to award the “Trump Peace Prize,” with the president being the first honoree.

“I think the whole point of having a Nobel Peace Prize is for ending wars and promoting peace,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) told Fox News Thursday morning, adding that he would “be the Democrat leading the committee” for Trump to receive the award “if he brings the Ukrainian war to its end” too.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinians in the streets of war-torn Gaza called for the 47th president to receive the prize in the hours after announcing the agreement.