Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Trump: “The prize I want is victory for the world”

Trump won’t say he wants the Nobel Prize. But he does want something much bigger.

President Donald Trump says he wants “victory for the world” more than the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Donald Trump says he wants “victory for the world” more than the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Donald Trump says he wants “victory for the world” more than the Nobel Peace Prize.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

President Donald Trump knows he’s receiving tons of praise, and even Nobel Peace Prize buzz, for his diplomatic overtures toward North Korea.

But he wants you to know that’s not what he cares most about. No, he wants something more than that.

“The prize I want is victory for the world,” the president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

Asked if he thought he deserved the Nobel, Trump smiled and, as humbly as he could, sidestepped the question: “Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it.”

There’s a case to make for awarding Trump the prize. Trump’s “maximum pressure and engagement” campaign to force North Korea to come to the negotiating table over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs has had some success.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has come in from the cold, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping twice, attending a historic summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and planning to sit down for a face-to-face meeting with Trump in a month.

North Korea also just released three American hostages who had been held in the country’s brutal labor camps for months — and in one case, two years.

But whether all that ultimately brings “victory for the world,” or even just a nuclear agreement, remains to be seen.

Watch Trump’s comments here:

Politics
Trump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expectedTrump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expected
Politics

As Trump heads to China, attention and resources are being shifted from Asia to yet another war in the Middle East.

By Joshua Keating
Politics
Are far-right politics just the new normal?Are far-right politics just the new normal?
Politics

Liberals are preparing for a longer war with right-wing populists than they once expected.

By Zack Beauchamp
Podcasts
Did Trump actually help Venezuela?Did Trump actually help Venezuela?
Podcast
Podcasts

Post-Maduro, some Venezuelans are feeling cautiously optimistic.

By Ariana Aspuru and Sean Rameswaram
Politics
5 ways the Iran standoff could end5 ways the Iran standoff could end
Politics

Is the US on the verge of a deal with Iran or a return to war?

By Joshua Keating
Politics
Ukraine’s fight against Russia is going better than you might thinkUkraine’s fight against Russia is going better than you might think
Politics

The war in Iran looked like a gift for Russia. It hasn’t worked out that way.

By Joshua Keating
The Logoff
Why Trump says the US-Iran war is overWhy Trump says the US-Iran war is over
The Logoff

Trump’s plan to evade an Iran deadline, briefly explained.

By Cameron Peters