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Claim: A controversy has emerged over the authenticity of a viral letter circulating on the internet in which President Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre over the country’s decision not to grant him (Trump) the Nobel Peace Prize Award.
Verdict: True! An interview on AP News shows President Trump backing the letter’s content. Other credible News Agencies, including ABC News, also reported on the matter.
Full Text
The Nobel Peace Prize is an international body that recognises individuals for their efforts to contribute to and maintain peace in conflict situations.
With regard to the Peace Prize, the will of Alfred Nobel, the person after whom the award is named, stipulated that it was to be awarded to the person “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Over time, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded for many different kinds of peace work and peace concepts.
In the earliest years of the Peace Prize— up to World War I—the prize was often awarded to pioneers of the organised peace movement. In the inter-war years, the focus shifted to active politicians who sought to promote international peace, stability, and justice through diplomacy and international agreements, but prizes were also awarded for humanitarian work (Nansen, the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). The Norwegian Nobel Committee is responsible for selecting the Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Since 1901, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 105 times, to 139 laureates: 92 men, 19 women, and 28 organisations.
In December 2025, María Corina Machado of Venezuela was recognised for her struggles to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy and for promoting democratic rights across Latin America.
However, on Jan. 19, 2026, a letter purported to be from President Donald Trump of the United States of America, addressed to Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, expressed disappointment over the country’s failure to award Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.
The letter in part states:
Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, 1 no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America…”
The letter went viral on the internet, as it can be found here, here, and here.
A screenshot of the letter.
The letter was received differently by viewers and internet users. There was significant controversy over the authenticity of the communication. The controversy led DUBAWA to initiate a fact-check.
A screenshot of the comments.
Verification
To verify this claim, DUBAWA conducted a Google search to ascertain the authenticity of the letter. The research found several references to the letter by credible media Institutions, particularly an interview on the AP News YouTube channel in which President Trump is seen attesting to the letter’s contents. The video can be found here.
Furthermore, ABC News also provided a detailed report on the matter. According to ABC News, President Trump communicated the issue to Norway’s Prime Minister through a text message.
The report is found here.
A screenshot of the post.
Conclusion
Based on our findings, the claim is true.
