It’s not every day you hear Hillary Clinton say something nice about Donald Trump. But this week, that’s exactly what happened — and it caught just about everyone by surprise.
On a podcast called “Raging Moderates,” Hillary Clinton said she would nominate President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize — yes, you read that right — if he helps end the war in Ukraine without giving any land to Russia. Coming from someone who’s spent years criticizing Trump, this was a jaw-dropping statement.
Let’s break it down.
Clinton said, “Honestly, if he could bring about the end to this terrible war, if he could end it without putting Ukraine in a position where it had to concede its territory to the aggressor, could really stand up to Putin — something we haven’t seen, but maybe this is the opportunity — if President Trump were the architect of that, I’d nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize.”
What makes this moment so strange is their history. Back in 2016, Clinton ran against Trump in the presidential election — and lost. Since then, she’s made it no secret that she doesn’t think very highly of him. She’s called him “unfit” for office, said he was too “thin-skinned” to handle nuclear weapons, and once famously referred to many of his supporters as a “basket of deplorables.”
Even earlier this year, Clinton kept up her attacks. In February, she said Trump’s leadership would make America “feeble and friendless.” Last fall, she said he was “more unhinged” now than he was during the 2016 election.
So why the sudden change? The answer seems to be peace — and maybe a little bit of politics.
Right now, President Trump is heading to Alaska for a big meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The goal? To try to end a war that’s been going on for over three years between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has said he thinks there’s a 75% chance of success. That’s a big deal.
If Trump can pull this off — ending the war, protecting Ukraine’s borders, and standing up to Putin — it would be one of the most important peace deals of the decade. And even someone like Hillary Clinton, who has warned about Trump’s praise for Putin in the past, seems willing to give credit where credit is due.
Of course, there’s more to this story than just kind words.
Trump has already been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize before. In fact, he was nominated in 2020 for helping broker peace deals in the Middle East. And now, with the possibility of ending the Ukraine war, his name is being floated again — this time by someone who used to be one of his biggest enemies.
Some people might see Clinton’s comments as a political move — trying to look reasonable or open-minded in case peace talks succeed. Others might see it as a rare moment of honesty, where even a longtime critic can admit that doing the right thing deserves recognition.
Either way, this is a major twist in the ongoing Trump-Clinton saga.
It also shows something important: even in today’s divided political world, peace is still something that can unite people — at least for a moment. If Trump really does help end the war in Ukraine, it won’t just be a win for him. It’ll be a win for the world.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s something everyone — even Hillary Clinton — can agree on.