President Donald Trump reacted to his second consecutive omission from the Nobel Peace Prize by amplifying a post from former impeachment lawyer David Schoen. Schoen, who defended Trump during the 2021 Senate impeachment trial over the January 6 attack, posted a scathing critique of South African jurist and former UN human‑rights chief Navi Pillay on Truth Social at 7:58 a.m. Friday. The post called Pillay an “unabashed hater of America and Israel,” accused her of celebrating terrorists and rewarding Hamas, and claimed she had never fostered peace.
Within hours of the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s announcement in Oslo, Trump reposted Schoen’s rant to his 10 million followers. The repost highlighted Trump’s achievements, citing the Abraham Accords, the release of hostages, efforts to end the Russia‑Ukraine war, actions against Iran, and attempts to rebuild Gaza. Schoen’s message concluded by tagging Trump’s account, implying that the former president deserved the prize for these accomplishments.
Pillay, 85, had previously received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 jointly with Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres for the Oslo Accords, a fact omitted in Schoen’s post. The committee’s citation praised Pillay for her role in ensuring war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted, noting that “peace requires justice.” Pillay’s background includes defending Nelson Mandela, serving on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and leading the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Trump’s reaction contrasts with his earlier response to the 2025 prize, when the award went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The White House had accused the committee of prioritising politics, while Machado later presented her medal to Trump as recognition of his “unique commitment.” As of Friday afternoon, Pillay had not made a comparable offer to Trump.
