President Donald Trump on Monday revived his beef with the selection committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming that the process is rigged against him.
Speaking to reporters before a bilateral meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump asserted that “I would get a Nobel prize for a lot of things, if they give it out fairly, which they don't.”
Trump was discussing the latest developments in the disputed region of Kashmir, which is sandwiched between India and Pakistan and which India has clamped down control over for the last several months. After Trump advertised himself as “an extremely good arbitrator," a foreign reporter suggested that should Trump successfully broker peace, he would “very likely and definitely” receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump then offered up former President Barack Obama as an example of the prize being unfairly awarded.
“They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency and he had no idea why he got it,” Trump said, joking: “You know what? That was the only thing I agreed with him on.”
Obama received the famed award in 2009, less than nine months into his term in the White House for what the Nobel Committee said were “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy” and his calls for nuclear nonproliferation. The honor drew confusion at the time from some in the international community who questioned what he could have done so soon in his presidency to merit such an achievement, especially with wars in the Middle East still raging. Even some in the White House expressed surprise at the win.
Trump was discussing the latest developments in the disputed region of Kashmir, which is sandwiched between India and Pakistan and which India has clamped down control over for the last several months. After Trump advertised himself as “an extremely good arbitrator," a foreign reporter suggested that should Trump successfully broker peace, he would “very likely and definitely” receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump then offered up former President Barack Obama as an example of the prize being unfairly awarded.
“They gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency and he had no idea why he got it,” Trump said, joking: “You know what? That was the only thing I agreed with him on.”
Obama received the famed award in 2009, less than nine months into his term in the White House for what the Nobel Committee said were “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy” and his calls for nuclear nonproliferation. The honor drew confusion at the time from some in the international community who questioned what he could have done so soon in his presidency to merit such an achievement, especially with wars in the Middle East still raging. Even some in the White House expressed surprise at the win.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea that he, too, deserves the peace prize for his efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.
In February of this year, Trump announced that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker peace between North and South Korea. Prior to that, South Korean President Moon Jae-in reportedly said last April that Trump deserved the Nobel Prize for his work to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, remarks Trump called “very generous” at the time.
Asked during a Cabinet meeting at the time whether he thought he deserved the honor, Trump told reporters: “Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it."
No such peace has occurred on the peninsula, and Trump’s last meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended without a deal on denuclearization. Trump has downplayed the North Koreans’ recent short-range missile tests, and has suggested he could meet with Kim again prior to next year’s election.
The president has also yet to produce his administration's plan to broker peace between Israel and Palestine, which Trump has said would be the "deal of the century." Nor has he been able to entice Iran back to the table to negotiate fixes to the 2015 nuclear deal that he unilaterally withdrew from last year.
And earlier this month, he scrapped talks with the Taliban at the last minute after U.S. negotiators said they reached a deal in principle to bring an end to the war in Afghanistan.
Winners for the six Nobel prizes are expected to be announced sometime next month.
