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By Dan Gooding and Jason Lemon
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Republican Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Barrasso of Wyoming introduced a resolution recommending President Donald Trump receive the Nobel Peace Prize due to his successful efforts to expedite the creation of COVID-19 vaccines via Operation Warp Speed during the 2020 pandemic.
The resolution introduced by the GOP lawmakers, who are both physicians, says Trump's efforts averted "an estimated 1,600,000 hospitalizations and 235,000 deaths in the United States," and also saved "approximately 14,400,000 lives globally."
Why It Matters
Trump and his supporters have repeatedly said in recent months that he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, namely for his efforts in seeking a peace deal in the Middle East. Calling for him to get the prize for the COVID-19 vaccine, when the project has since received so much backlash from his MAGA base and vaccine skeptics, could make this bid a harder sell.
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What To Know
Earlier this month, Trump lost the 2025 prize to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, who later dedicated her award to him. The resolution filed in the U.S. Senate by Cassidy and Barrasso could potentially kick off a bid for the prize next year.
The senators wrote that Trump "has a legacy of bold action to save lives around the world," and that he had acted swiftly to protect human life by launching Operation Warp Speed, the White House initiative to quickly formulate and manufacture a vaccine at the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Cassidy and Barrasso want other senators to recognize these efforts by recommending him for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, following Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla's recent statement that he believed the president should receive the award for his role in the vaccine's development.
Boura said that the effects of Operation Warp Speed included delivering a new platform, which could help speed up the development of cancer treatments in the future.
At the same time, Trump's Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has rolled back recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for certain groups, and has shown skepticism for its efficacy and caution over its potential health impacts. Trump has somewhat distanced himself from the conversation and the success of the vaccine.
However, Kennedy also agreed with Cassidy during a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing in September that the president should get the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on the vaccine.
What People Are Saying
Senator Bill Cassidy, in a press release: “President Trump’s decisive action in Operation Warp Speed not only saved millions of lives but brought the American economy back to life. When Americans needed a vaccine in record time to stop a once-in-a-generation pandemic, President Trump delivered. The Nobel Prize has been given for a lot less. He should receive the next one!”
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, in September: "Operation Warp Speed restored consumer confidence, saved over $1 trillion in health care costs due to reductions in serious illness and avoidance of hospitalizations, and rapidly scaled up domestic production. This American leadership also delivered a new platform that may drive significant innovation in cancer research."
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social in September: "It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various COVID Drugs. Many people think they are a miracle that saved Millions of lives. Others disagree! With CDC being ripped apart over this question, I want the answer, and I want it NOW."
What Happens Next
For the president, his best chance of finally obtaining the award he has coveted may lie in his ability to negotiate lasting peace deals around the world, such as in Ukraine.
Update 10/21/25, 11:22 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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