Donald Trump nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
9 September 2020, 22:04
The US president has been nominated by Norwegian MP Christian Tybring-Gjedde, of the far-right Progress Party, for his work in the Middle East.
A Norwegian MP has said he has nominated US President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East.
Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Mr Trump should be considered because of his work “for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East”.
Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed last month to a historic deal normalising relations and are scheduled to sign it at a White House ceremony on September 15.
“No matter how Trump acts at home and what he says at press conferences, he has absolutely a chance at getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” Mr Tybring-Gjedde, told The Associated Press.
He said he nominated Mr Trump on Wednesday for the 2021 prize, adding that “Donald Trump meets the criteria”.
Nominations must be sent to the Norwegian Nobel Committee by February 1, meaning the deadline to nominate people for this year’s peace prize has passed.
Mr Tybring-Gjedde was one of two Norwegian MPs who nominated Mr Trump for the peace prize in 2018 for his efforts to bring reconciliation between North and South Korea.
Any national legislator can nominate someone for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Former US president Barack Obama was awarded the prize in 2009 only months into his first term, a move many felt was premature. The Norwegian committee said it honoured Mr Obama for his commitment to “seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons”.
Last year, Mr Trump predicted that he would win the Nobel Prize “for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t”.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee does not publicly comment on nominees. Under its rules, the information is required to be kept secret for 50 years.
Mr Tybring-Gjedde said in a Facebook post: “It is now to hope that the Nobel Committee is able to consider what Trump has achieved internationally and that it does not stumble in established prejudice against the US President.”
However, he said he does not agree with all of Mr Trump’s policies.
“I am not a big Trump supporter,” he said.
