President Donald Trump was nominated Wednesday for the Nobel Peace Prize by two Norwegian lawmakers for his work seeking denuclearization of North Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Trump for a summit Tuesday in Singapore, where they signed an agreement to work together towards peace and denuclearization. North Korea also agreed to return the remains of American military personnel killed in that country during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.
Norwegian Progress Party leaders nominated the U.S. president a day after the summit ended. Progress Party member Per-Willy Amundsen said that the developments are historic, and it could lead to world peace, according to Bloomberg News.
Trump has been cited as a possible nominee since Kim ended a series of provocative threats and missile tests last year. Kim backed off in response to Trump’s multiple demonstrations of U.S. military power and resolve, and his toughening of economic sanctions against North Korea.
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“What’s going on now is historic,” Amundsen told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. “A process is underway to ensure world peace in the future. It’s a fragile process, but we must, of course, do what we can to help this process bring good results.”
The North Korean situation has been rocky as it has unfolded, but there has been significant progress. Trump himself almost pulled out of the summit in the weeks leading up to it. But the two leaders did meet in Singapore and concluded their discussions by signing an agreement to continue the talks and efforts to achieve a long-term peaceful solution.
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Trump has deployed heavy sanctions to bringing Kim to the table and end his nuclear program. He first referred to the approach as a “maximum pressure” campaign before backing off from the term in recent weeks. The strategy is to achieve denuclearization by demonstrating U.S. firmness and resolve in contrast with efforts by previous administrations.
Trump would be the fifth U.S. president to receive the Nobel Peace prize if the nomination is successful. President Theodore Roosevelt became the first to receive it for his role as the collaborator of various peace treaties in 1906. He was followed by Presidents Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama. Vice President Al Gore also received one for his role advocating radical anti-global warming measures in 2007.
Connor Wolf covers Congress and national politics and can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.
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