Trump Touts Abraham Accords, Predicts More Normalization Deals With Israel: “Maybe” I Deserve the Nobel Peace Prize

By: Fern Sidman

During a high-profile Oval Office meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Thursday, President Donald Trump reignited the debate over his candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize, suggesting that his administration’s Abraham Accords might be deserving of the world’s most prestigious peace honor.

“Maybe for the Abraham Accords,” Trump said with a confident grin in response to a reporter’s question about whether he felt worthy of the prize, The Times of Israel reported on Thursday.

The meeting with the Norwegian leader, whose country administers the Nobel Prize, offered a symbolic backdrop for Trump to reflect on the foreign policy legacy of his first term and hint at what may come next.

While the Nobel Committee does not publicly comment on nominees, Trump was formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 and 2021 by several European lawmakers specifically for his role in the Abraham Accords, as was noted in The Times of Israel report.

Though he ultimately did not win, Trump and his supporters have long argued that his administration’s success in achieving Arab-Israeli normalization — without territorial concessions or war — constitutes a landmark achievement worthy of the prize.

Trump didn’t just rest on past achievements — he predicted a surge in countries seeking normalization with Israel, crediting continued U.S. diplomatic efforts under his renewed leadership.

“We are going to be filling it up very rapidly,” Trump said, referring to the Abraham Accords, according to The Times of Israel. “A lot of countries want to come into the Abraham Accords.”

The Abraham Accords, a series of U.S.-brokered agreements established in 2020 between Israel and several Arab states — including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan — marked one of the most significant geopolitical shifts in the Middle East in decades. The accords normalized diplomatic relations and opened avenues for trade, security cooperation, and cultural exchange.

The Times of Israel reported that while critics initially doubted the durability of the agreements, subsequent developments and enduring bilateral ties between Israel and these nations have cemented the Abraham Accords as a cornerstone of Trump’s foreign policy legacy, particularly among pro-Israel voters and international relations experts.

Trump also addressed the high-stakes nuclear negotiations with Iran, suggesting that a new deal may be within reach — while also hinting that military action remains on the table if diplomacy fails.

“There are only two options. One option is not a good option at all,” Trump said, referencing a potential military strike if Tehran pursues a nuclear weapon, as reported by The Times of Israel.

But Trump tempered his remarks with an unexpected note of optimism, stating: “We’re doing very well on an agreement with Iran… that one is well in its way. We could have a very, very good decision, and a lot of lives will be saved.”

His remarks indicate a dramatic potential shift from in his earlier “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which included the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), The Times of Israel report explained. Instead, Trump now appears open to striking a new deal, provided it curtails Iran’s nuclear ambitions and ensures regional stability.

As reported by The Times of Israel, Trump’s comments come at a pivotal time, both domestically and internationally. In recent months, Trump has intensified U.S. engagement with Gulf nations, bolstered military cooperation with Israel, and launched a comprehensive review of U.S. foreign aid tied to antisemitism and extremism abroad. His administration has also linked foreign student visas and federal grants to compliance with anti-terror standards, especially in institutions suspected of harboring anti-Israel sentiment.

In that context, Trump’s Oval Office meeting was as much about diplomatic optics as it was about policy. His references to the Abraham Accords were clearly designed to call attention to his legacy and project future ambitions, not just with Iran but across the wider Arab and Muslim world.

While Trump was characteristically nonchalant when asked if he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize — replying simply “maybe” — The Times of Israel report suggested that the underlying message was more profound: Trump believes the Abraham Accords are far from over.

If additional countries — such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, or Oman — were to join the agreements under Trump’s leadership, his claim to the Peace Prize would only grow stronger.

Whether or not the Nobel Committee agrees, Trump’s renewed push for Middle East normalization, combined with his potentially game-changing nuclear negotiations with Iran, ensures that foreign policy will remain a central pillar of his second-term agenda — and a defining element of his presidential legacy.