Trump posted a long message on Truth Social late on 9 October attacking Pillay, saying few had heard of her, that she "hates Israel" and that he settled eight wars (CNN, The Hill, Ynet, Daily Beast, Gulf News). CNN reported his central claim is false. Pillay led a UN commission whose report concluded that Israel committed genocide in Gaza, which Israel rejected. One report said she answered with a joke at a conference in Nuremberg. The South African government has not been quoted in the reports DailyDrop saw.
A US president attacking a South African laureate adds to an already strained relationship between Washington and Pretoria, which has been in public disputes over the ambassador and other issues.
Expect more commentary from both governments. For South Africans the prize remains a point of national pride, whatever Washington says.
Supporters of Pillay say the attack shows political hostility to international justice, and note that the committee cited her record on war crimes.
Trump's supporters say he has ended or de-escalated several conflicts and was passed over for political reasons.
The post says more about Washington's view of the Nobel committee than about Pillay. What to watch is whether Ramaphosa or DIRCO responds, and whether Pillay's UN Gaza finding becomes part of the South Africa-US dispute.
CNN, The Hill, Ynet, Daily Beast, Gulf News (9-10 Oct 2026)
World · NobelPress ✓ 5 outlets · Trump's claims attributed, one fact-checked
Trump attacks Navi Pillay after her Nobel win and says he "settled eight wars"
In a long late-night post after a rally, the US president said few had heard of the South African laureate. CNN called his main claim false.
US President Donald Trump attacked the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay in a long Truth Social post late on Friday 9 October, US time, after a rally in Syracuse, New York, according to CNN, The Hill, Ynet, the Daily Beast and Gulf News. He wrote that, to the best of his knowledge, no one had heard of her other than that she "very obviously, hates Israel", and he said he had settled eight wars and should have won eight peace prizes, not one. The Daily Beast described a 590-word post made around midnight.
Pillay led a UN commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, which the Israeli government rejected, according to reports of the post. CNN said Trump's central claim, that he settled more than half a dozen wars, is false. One report said Pillay answered with a joke at a conference in Nuremberg, telling an applauding crowd she might share the prize with Trump if they clapped more. DailyDrop could not verify a recording of that remark, and has not seen a statement from the South African government on the post. The prize ceremony is on 10 December.
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By the numbers
8wars Trump says he settled (claim disputed by CNN)
590words in the late-night post, per the Daily Beast
10 DecNobel ceremony date
Police have arrested 19 people over the unrest in Durban: four on Thursday and 15 on Friday night, on charges including public violence and malicious damage to property (IOL, eNCA, Daily News Egypt). Suspects are still being sought in Soweto. No deaths have been confirmed. Home Affairs withdrew its asylum directive on Friday. A report of troops in Durban from one outlet is unconfirmed.
The arrests are the first sign that police are acting on promises of consequences, and they show the unrest was concentrated in two cities.
If you are in central Durban or Orlando West, watch police advisories. Services at refugee offices remain uncertain.
Police say swift arrests deter further violence and show that mob action will not be tolerated.
Rights groups say the root cause, a rushed directive and misinformation, was not addressed, and warn that arrests of low-level participants will not end tension.
The next test is court: whether the 19 face serious charges and whether organisers, not just participants, are named. DailyDrop will also watch whether Home Affairs publishes its new approach before the groups gather again.
IOL, eNCA, Daily News Egypt, Daily Maverick, EWN (8-10 Oct 2026)
Society · Public orderPress ✓ 4 outlets · arrest counts per police
Police arrest 15 more suspects after the Durban unrest, bringing the total to 19
Police said they arrested four people on Thursday and 15 more on Friday night after vehicles and buildings were burned in Durban, bringing the total to 19, according to IOL, eNCA and Daily News Egypt. The charges mentioned include public violence and malicious damage to property. Gauteng police were still pursuing suspects in Soweto, where the violence started near the Home Affairs office in Orlando West. Police have not confirmed any deaths and no consolidated injury count has been published. The vehicle count is 24 by police figures, though one outlet says 23.
The Department of Home Affairs withdrew its 28 September asylum directive on Friday and said it will develop a new operational approach to comply with the Constitutional Court order. Daily Maverick published an explainer on the July ruling on Friday. Anti-illegal-immigration groups had vowed earlier in the week to keep disrupting refugee reception offices, according to EWN. A report that soldiers had been deployed on the streets of Durban came from a single outlet, the Rio Times, and DailyDrop could not confirm it. Acting national commissioner Puleng Dimpane has promised to find those behind the burnings.
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