Lesson Plan: Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize

Ann S. Michaelsen

5 months ago

Grade Level / Audience

Upper-level secondary or university-level students—teachers, education professionals, or politically literate learners.

In this day and age, receiving a cold call at any time can be disarming, but Norway’s finance minister reportedly took a most surprising ring on the streets of Oslo earlier this month.

According to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv, the cold caller was U.S. President Donald Trump, and the request for Norway’s Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, was how the American leader could be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. CNBC

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Describe the nomination and selection process for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Identify notable past laureates and highlight cases of controversy.
Analyze how awards can backfire or become politically complicated.
Apply these insights to assess Donald Trump’s current pursuit of the Prize.
The rumour: Was Trump removed from a list of Nobel Peace Prize nominees? See video below.

Lesson Components

1. Warm-Up

Pose open-ended questions:

What purpose does the Nobel Peace Prize serve?
Do you think awards should be based on idealistic intentions, tangible achievements, or both?
Students briefly discuss in pairs or small groups to surface their assumptions.

2. Lecture & Guided Notes

A. Nobel Peace Prize Overview

Origin & Intent: Established by Alfred Nobel’s will to honor those “who have done the most or the best to advance fraternity between nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the promotion of peace congresses.”
Nomination Process:
Eligible nominators include national legislators, university professors, former laureates, and others.
Deadline is late January each year; deliberations are conducted by a five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee, appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. Secrecy is maintained for 50 years.

Questions

What event involving Nobel laureates was recently held in Germany?
What has Donald Trump said about his aspirations regarding the Nobel Peace Prize?
What rumor circulated online about Donald Trump’s status as a Nobel Peace Prize nominee?
How did viral social media images present claims about Trump’s removal from the Peace Prize nomination list?
What are the Nobel Committee’s rules about the confidentiality of nominee names?
Who sometimes publicly announces their own nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize?
What role did Ukrainian lawmaker Alexander Moresko play in Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination?
What distinguishes a nominator’s withdrawal from the committee’s official process?
According to the video, what reasons does Trump cite for deserving the Nobel Peace Prize?
What specific conflicts or peace agreements are mentioned as being tied to Trump’s claims of peacemaking?

B. Past U.S. President Laureates

Theodore Roosevelt (1906) – mediated the Russo-Japanese War.
Woodrow Wilson (1919) – established the League of Nations.
Jimmy Carter (2002) – honored for humanitarian work post-presidency via the Carter Center.
Barack Obama (2009) – awarded early in his first term for extraordinary efforts to strengthen diplomacy; widely regarded as controversial because the prize predated any major accomplishments.

C. Historic Controversies & Backfires

1973: Henry Kissinger & Lê Đức Thọ – awarded jointly for negotiating a Vietnam truce; Thọ declined, two committee members resigned, and the prize was dubbed the “Nobel War Prize.”
1994: Arafat, Rabin & Peres – Arafat’s inclusion sparked outrage; a committee member resigned.
Barack Obama (2009) – again, seen as premature; critics argued the split between symbolism and substance.

Group Task: Nobel Peace Prize Case Studies

Instructions

Form small groups.
Review the list of topics below.
Each group will select one topic to research and prepare a brief presentation or poster.
The presentation should cover the background, main events, public reaction, and significance of the case.

Topics to Choose From

B. Past U.S. President Laureates

Theodore Roosevelt (1906): Mediated the Russo-Japanese War.
Woodrow Wilson (1919): Established the League of Nations.
Jimmy Carter (2002): Honored for humanitarian work post-presidency via the Carter Center.
Barack Obama (2009): Awarded early in his first term for extraordinary efforts to strengthen diplomacy; widely regarded as controversial because the prize predated any major accomplishments.

C. Historic Controversies & Backfires

1973: Henry Kissinger & Lê Đức Thọ – Awarded jointly for negotiating a Vietnam truce; Thọ declined, two committee members resigned, and the prize was dubbed the “Nobel War Prize.”
1994: Arafat, Rabin & Peres – Arafat’s inclusion sparked outrage; a committee member resigned.
Barack Obama (2009) – Again, seen as premature; critics argued the split between symbolism and substance.

Deliverables

Short group presentation or creative poster.
Address: What happened? Why was the award given (or controversial)? What lessons or debates arose from this case?
Include at least two sources of evidence or quotations in the presentation.
General critiques:
- Prize seen to favor politics, media visibility, or aspirations rather than concrete achievements. Some argue it can even undermine peace processes by politicizing peacemaking.

3. Case Study: Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Pursuit

A. Trump’s Current Status

Multiple nominations have been submitted—for example, by Israeli PM Netanyahu (Abraham Accords), Pakistan (India–Pakistan de-escalation), and others.
However, many of the claimed diplomatic successes are contested or fragile.
At least three of the five Nobel Committee members have voiced criticism of Trump’s leadership, citing erosion of democratic norms—one member (Asle Toje) showed some sympathy, but overall, his chances seem limited.
Observers argue that such nominations may be politically motivated rather than grounded in genuine peacemaking—and that the Prize may be undermined by awarding someone with divisive record.

B. Answer these questions;

Do Trump’s diplomatic claims meet the Nobel criteria of fraternity and peaceful resolution?
Are there precedents (like Obama’s early award) that suggest Trump could win based on potential over outcomes?
Could awarding Trump risk discrediting the Prize in the same way past controversial decisions did?

4. Interactive Activity

Option A: Debate
Split the class into two groups:
Group 1 argues: Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Group 2 argues: Trump should not receive it.
Encourage them to draw on criteria, precedent, ethics, and institutional integrity.
Option B: Reflective Writing
Students write a brief essay (200 words) evaluating Trump’s candidacy using lessons from past controversies.

5. Wrap-Up & Homework

Wrap-Up: Summarize key points:
The Nobel Peace Prize process is structured but secretive.
Several controversial awards in history show how politics and timing can undermine credibility.
Trump’s nominations highlight both the possibilities and perils of premature or politically-charged awards.
Homework:
Write a reflective piece comparing Trump’s case with one past laureate controversy (e.g., Obama 2009 or Kissinger 1973), focusing on lessons about timing, peace legitimacy, and political optics.

📚 Sources
Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Here’s how it’s awarded. – Washington Post
The tarnished prize Trump desperately wants – Washington Post Opinion
Trump badly wants a Nobel Peace Prize. Most on the committee oppose him. – Washington Post Politics
Can Trump win a Nobel Peace Prize? – Reuters
What Trump’s Nobel nominations say about the prize – The Hilltop
Has Trump made his case for the Nobel Peace Prize? – IVN
Trump Nobel Peace Prize history explained – TIME
Trump’s “six wars ended” claim fact-checked – The Times
Trump claims to have solved multiple wars – El País
There’s one major problem with Trump’s Nobel dream – The Daily Beast