As North Korea and South Korea continue talks of peace and denuclearization, Donald Trump has been rumoured to be a contender to win a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in furthering the discussions.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted Friday that while “we’re not there yet,” if the president were to successfully broker peace between North and South Korea, he would be deserving of the award, which has previously been given to education activist Malala Yousafzai and former President Barack Obama.
This comment came on the same day Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to cross the border into South Korea in the regime’s first-ever visit to the South. During the summit, the two leaders pledged to work towards total denuclearization and committed to ending the decades-long Korean war.
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In response to these developments, there have been talks about Trump’s candidacy for a Nobel Peace Prize in recent days, with several experts stating that such an accomplishment would warrant the honour.
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South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha told CNN that Trump does indeed deserve the credit for what would prove to be a major success in international diplomacy, saying “Clearly, credit goes to President Trump. He’s been determined to come to grips with this from day one.”
In addition, during the president’s rally in Michigan on Saturday night, Trump was greeted by crowds chanting “Nobel, Nobel, Nobel!”
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“That’s very nice, thank you. That’s very nice,” said the president in response. “I just want to get the job done.” Trump held the Michigan rally in place of attending the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, which he missed out on for the second year in a row.
Four presidents throughout history have won a Nobel Peace Prize, including Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.
Obama was awarded the prize in 2009 for his efforts towards building a world without nuclear weapons.
Not everyone believes the rumours however. Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Friday that the “globalist elite” would never give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Remember who decides this stuff. Noting to do with merit as we have all seen. The globalist elite would never give him that win,” the president’s son wrote.
The president and founder of the European political news group, Eurasia Group, Ian Bremmer, also tweeted that although he’s been critical of Trump’s policy decisions in the past, Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un would together get his support for a Nobel Peace Prize, should denuclearization of the Korean peninsula be achieved.
It’s important to note that while the two Koreas are in talks, an official peace treaty has yet to be signed and would likely require the cooperation of both the U.S. and Chinese governments, as well as backing from the United Nations.
However, should a peace treaty be drawn up and agreed to by all parties, it would end an ongoing war between North and South Korea that — although fighting ceased in the 1950s — has been left unresolved for decades.
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