French President Emmanuel Macron has said that US President Donald Trump could only win the Nobel Peace Prize if he brings an end to the war in Gaza, pushing back against Trump’s repeated claims that he already deserves the award.
Macron made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview with French broadcaster BFMTV on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
“I see a US president who is active, who wants peace… who wants the Nobel Peace Prize. But the Nobel Peace Prize is possible only if you stop this war,” Macron said, urging Trump to put pressure on Israel to halt its military operations and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Macron also dismissed Trump’s assertion that France’s recognition of the Palestinian state amounted to rewarding Hamas, arguing instead that the move helps strengthen the Palestinian Authority and isolate the militant group.
Trump, in his own address to the General Assembly earlier on Tuesday, repeated his longstanding view that he should already have won the Nobel Peace Prize. He cited his record of having “ended seven un-endable wars” and said, “everyone said I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Trump also condemned the states recognizing Palestine as “a reward for these horrible atrocities, including Oct. 7,” when Hamas carried out its deadly incursion into southern Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people. He insisted he was “deeply engaged” in seeking a Gaza ceasefire but argued that Hamas had repeatedly rejected “reasonable offers to make peace.”
Macron used his General Assembly speech to defend the United Nations, declaring that “more than ever” the world needs the UN’s ‘spirit of cooperation.’ Trump, by contrast, dismissed the body as ineffective and even mocked its broken escalators and malfunctioning teleprompters.
Macron acknowledged that despite France’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, Washington held the decisive leverage: “There is only one person who could do something in the current situation – the American president.”
The Israeli military is currently pushing to fully seize Gaza City, which it has threatened to destroy unless Hamas surrenders. Gazan health authorities say the death toll in the enclave has surpassed 65,300, though some observers believe it could be significantly higher, given that many bodies are likely buried under rubble from Israeli strikes.
