Iran-Israel ceasefire reignites MAGA push for a Trump Nobel Peace Prize

The latest: Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) announced Tuesday he had nominated the president for the Nobel Peace Prize over the ceasefire brokered between Israel and Iran — one that now hangs in an uncertain fragility.

• Carter also pointed to what he described as Trump's "historic role" in "preventing the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet."

Catch up quick: Trump's Monday announcement of a ceasefire came just around two days after his administration made the historic decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

• But within hours, Israel accused Iran of breaking the ceasefire. Under pressure from Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu significantly scaled back planned retaliation, Axios' Barak Ravid reported.
• A frustrated Trump on Tuesday told reporters, "We have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the f--k they are doing."

Context: Trump's administration officials and allies have repeatedly called for the president to receive the prize, which they've argued is not fairly awarded.

• Trump's fixation has roots in the fact that former President Obama received the award just months into his presidency for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples" and his push to curb nuclear weapons.
• Just last week, Trump lamented, "I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran."
• Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports that Trump's critics say he doesn't deserve the prize because it's unclear how he'll achieve lasting peace — and how past Moscow-friendly moves would weigh on a Norwegian jury.

What they're saying: The White House says there's no one more deserving than Trump.

• "He did what no other President has been able to accomplish – even presidents who have won the Nobel Peace Prize – by obliterating Iran's nuclear capabilities," said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers, listing other accomplishments like the Abraham Accords.

Zoom out: Members of governments, other institutions and certain individuals — such as people who have been awarded the prize — can nominate any living person or active organization.

• The government of Pakistan on Friday announced its intent to recommend Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, citing his intervention amid a flare between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
• But two days later, it condemned the U.S. attacks on Iranian facilities, urging "recourse to dialogue, diplomacy" as the "only viable pathway to resolve the crises in the region."
• A Ukrainian politician, Oleksandr Merezhko, also nominated Trump for the prize last year — though he reportedly told Newsweek on Tuesday he has withdrawn the nomination after losing faith in the president's ability to secure a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine.

Other U.S. lawmakers have recently and in past years thrown Trump's hat in the ring for the award, including Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), who in March cited the president's efforts in the Middle East and in the Russia-Ukraine war in a letter pushing his consideration for the prize.

What's next: The nominating window for the 2025 Nobel prizes closed in January, and winners will be announced in October.

Go deeper: Trump's new quest: A Nobel may prove irresistible

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a White House statement.