U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize award, reportedly due to his efforts in reaching out to North Korea's Kim Jong Un.
Trump said that Abe sent him "the most beautiful copy of a letter that he sent to the people who give out a thing called the Nobel Prize. ... He said, 'I have nominated you, respectfully, on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize,'" USA Today reported.
The American leader explained that Abe's nomination of him was largely because of his efforts in initiating talks with Kim. It was in 2018 when Trump said that after his summit with the North Korean chief, the country is no longer a threat in terms of nuclear power.
The outlet noted that this isn't the first time Trump was nominated for the highly-contested prize. Last year, two Norwegian lawmakers submitted the American president's name for the prize and South Korean President Moon Jae-In also nominated him.
While Trump seems to be happy about the reported nomination from Abe, his previous nominations have been put under heat by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The New York Times reported in February 2018 that the committee said submission for Trump has been forwarded to the Oslo police due to attributes of forgery. In the previous year, another nomination for the U.S. president seemed to share the same forged qualities.
Inspector Rune Skjold, head of the Oslo police's economic crimes section, said at that time that the team reached out to the FBI as it was believed that both forgeries were initiated by the same perpetrator. Other details were not divulged to the media.
During his Friday speech, Trump pointed out that former U.S. President Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize within just months of his service. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Trump said, "With me, I probably will never get it."
Trump also highlighted his work for Syria, Russia, and Iran. He claimed that he helped save three million people from getting killed after he tipped the three countries about a reported planned offensive. "Nobody talks about that," he stressed.
Following his announcement about getting nominated by Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reported on Sunday that Abe nominated Trump for the prize upon the U.S. government's request.
The Japanese newspaper cited an unnamed Japanese government source stating that the White House "informally" requested for Abe to submit Trump's name. Both governments refused to comment on the matter.
