Fact check: How many times has a US President been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal a critical distinction between Nobel Peace Prize nominations and awards that directly impacts answering this question. Four U.S. Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt ^[1], Woodrow Wilson (1919/1920), Jimmy Carter ^[2], and Barack Obama ^{[3] [4] [5]}. Additionally, one Vice President has also received the award ^[4].

However, the sources do not provide a specific total number of nominations for U.S. Presidents throughout history. The analyses mention that several presidents have been nominated, including George W. Bush, Joe Biden, and Donald Trump ^[6], with Donald Trump having been nominated multiple times ^{[7] [8]}. One source notes that 338 candidates were nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize alone ^[8], demonstrating the high volume of annual nominations.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes there is a definitive, publicly available count of presidential nominations, but the analyses reveal significant gaps in this information:

• Nomination records are often confidential - The Nobel Committee maintains secrecy around nominations for 50 years, making historical counts difficult to verify
• Multiple nomination sources exist - Various individuals and organizations can nominate candidates, including government officials, academics, and previous laureates
• Recent vs. historical nominations - While recent nominations like Trump's are publicly reported ^[7], historical nomination data appears less accessible
• The distinction between individual nominations and total nomination instances - A single president could be nominated multiple times by different nominators or in different years

Political motivations may drive both the nomination process and public reporting of nominations, as seen with recent GOP lawmakers nominating Trump for his role in international diplomacy ^[7].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may lead to misinformation - it presupposes that a comprehensive, accurate count of all U.S. Presidential Nobel Peace Prize nominations exists and is publicly available. The analyses demonstrate this assumption is fundamentally flawed ^{[6] [7] [8]}.

The question's framing could inadvertently conflate nominations with awards, a distinction that significantly changes the answer and public understanding. While four presidents have definitively won the prize, the total number of nominations remains undocumented in available sources.

This gap in available data could be exploited by political actors who might inflate or deflate nomination claims for partisan purposes, particularly given the recent pattern of publicizing certain nominations while others remain in historical obscurity.