Trump: 'I’m Going To Get a Nobel Prize for a Lot of Things, If They Gave It Out Fairly'
President Donald Trump claimed Monday that he would be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize if the process were fairer.
While speaking at a news conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump was fielding question about relations between India and Pakistan and the contested region of Kashmir when a reporter referenced the Nobel Prize.
“Now, if you can solve this outstanding issue of Kashmir, very likely and definitely you will be deserving a Nobel Prize on that,” one reporter said, according to the official White House transcript.
“I think I’ll get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things,” the president replied.
“I think I’m going to get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things, if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t.”
Trump went on to remind reporters that former President Barack Obama received the prize only shortly into his presidency.
“They gave it out — well, they gave one to Obama immediately upon his ascent to the presidency, and he had no idea why he got it,” he said.
“And you know what? That was the only thing I agreed with him on,” Trump added to laughter.
As Politico reported, Obama received the award in 2009 for his commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and what the Nobel Committee called “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy.”
Many in both the international community and Obama’s own White House were surprised by the then-president’s win, with some criticizing the award as premature for someone who had been in office for a matter of months.
Trump has a history of comments about the famous prize.
In February, he claimed that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had nominated him, according to Reuters. A major Japanese newspaper later backed up his assertion.
Likewise, in May 2018, Trump called South Korean President Moon Jae-in “very generous” after Moon reportedly nominated him for the award, Politico reported.
Moon had reportedly lauded his American counterpart for his diplomatic efforts in regard to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which eventually led to a historic summit between Trump and Kim.
When asked by reporters whether he thought he deserved to receive the prize, Trump said that “everyone thinks so, but I would never say it.”
This year’s Nobel Prize winners are expected to be announced in October.
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