Abe Nominated Trump for Nobel: Report

But reportedly at the US government's request
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 17, 2019 9:58 AM CST
Abe Nominated Trump for Nobel: Report
In this June 7, 2018 file photo, President Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

President Trump on Friday said that Japanese PM Shinzo Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, and had given him "the most beautiful copy" of the five-page document, but Japanese newspaper Asahi is reporting on Sunday that Abe did so only at the request of the US government. Abe was apparently approached about the nomination after Trump met with North Korea's Kim Jong Un last year, reports Reuters.

Per the AFP, Trump told a Friday press conference that "(Abe) said ‘I have nominated you respectfully on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize.’ I said thank you. Many other people feel that way, too. I’ll probably never get it. That’s OK." A rep for Japan's Foreign Ministry says he will "refrain from commenting on the interaction between the two leaders,” and the White House had no comment on the report for Reuters. Of note: The Nobel Foundation does not release details of unsuccessful nominations for 50 years. (More President Trump stories.)

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