February 18, 2019

"Japan’s Abe won’t confirm Trump Nobel Prize nomination, but media reports say he did."

WaPo reports.
Abe’s reluctance to confirm the story is understandable, as he negotiates a fine line between flattering Trump’s ego and appearing too deferential in front of his own electorate....

In Seoul, a spokesman for President Moon Jae-in was asked if the South Korean leader might have been the one to nominate Trump. The spokesman, Kim Eui-keum, said that as far as he knows, Moon hadn’t done so. “However, President Moon has been emphasizing how President Trump has made a huge contribution to bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula through summit talks with North Korea, and how his leadership and determination played a decisive role in settling a new atmosphere of peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the spokesman said. “So it’s President Moon’s thinking that he fully deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”

58 comments:

Amexpat said...

Trump and his followers often, with some merit, deride the Nobel Peace Prize. But there's no doubt that Trump would accept it and gloat about it for the rest of his life.

MadisonMan said...

Ah, so now the WaPo goes after any world leader who might conceivably do something that (cough) garners praise for Trump.

tcrosse said...

But there's no doubt that Trump would accept it and gloat about it for the rest of his life.

There's doubt. Trump doesn't need the money, and the Prize has been severely devalued lately. He could tell the Norwegians to give it to Jussie Smollett instead.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, still giving credibility to the Washington Post? Before we moved out of Fairfax County I even stopped believing their weather forecasts. Box scores were all that I still trusted.

Wince said...

Abe and Moon should both say "I am Sparticus!"

Fen said...

Trump should decline. The Nobel is a joke. Don't normalize it.

chuck said...

Please, no Peace Prize for Trump, it would validate the silly thing.

traditionalguy said...

Interestingly, Trump's descent is Norwegian Fishermen Outer Isles Scottish on his mother's side, It would be a Viking homecoming for the Norse in him. So I bet he takes it.

Big Mike said...

It would be funny if Trump got the Peace Prize for actually doing what the Nobel Committee claimed that Obama was going to do. But the stupid Norwegians should wait until North Korea has actually denuclearized before awarding anything to anybody.

Ralph L said...

More likely, they'll give it to Kim Whoa Fat! alone.

Do they announce nominations like a Hollywood awards program?
If Obama had had a lick of sense, he'd have turned it down--publicly, of course. I wonder if anyone advised that.

Balfegor said...

Moon is such a toady.

Lyle said...

Trump should gloat about it if he wins it, because it would be a blow to anti-Americanism the world over. However, this is why Trump is probably correct in thinking he won't ever win it... the world's intellectual class isn't ready to give up on its anti-Americanism yet. They just can't be wrong about Trump being Hitler and right-of-center America being Nazi Germany.

Obama was awarded the prize because he was seen as being sufficiently anti-American. Obama was going to be the man to make America and the world in the European left's own image. What a fantasy!

Amexpat said...

There's doubt. Trump doesn't need the money...

Perhaps not but he has a needy ego. He loves praise, from whatever quarter it comes.

The prize money is also over a $1,000,000. Trump may not need that to pay the rent, but it's a good payday, even for him.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Any idea who nominated Obama?

Leland said...

But the stupid Norwegians should wait until North Korea has actually denuclearized before awarding anything to anybody.

I agree. This would do along way in making the prize valuable again.

tim in vermont said...

Here is the standard:
those who have "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

Why didn’t Trump win this last year for bringing North Korea to the table. a nation with which we have had a state of declared war for half a century?

We can’t. give it to Trump because it would “flatter his ego”?

I can understand that kind of nonsense snark from blog commenters, but what happened to the WaPo?

tim in vermont said...

wait until North Korea has actually denuclearized

Not the standard.

What was the standard when they gave it to Obama anyway? What did he accomplish as a first term Senator to win the prize?

tim in vermont said...

If that was the standard, there would not be an award every year. Reagan might have won one. Truman, for bringing the Japs to the table...

tim in vermont said...

I guess the Obama prize did establish once and for all that the award was about toadying.

tim in vermont said...

Perhaps not but he has a needy ego. He loves praise, from whatever quarter it comes

Could you explain that remark to me with an example or two? Trump is the most criticized president since maybe Lincoln. What the propaganda campaign is is to deny Trump any acceptance on any front. You have been taken in by that propaganda campaign.

Nonapod said...

Honestly, the Nobel Prize has been a joke since at least when they gave it to Arafat. The Obama thing was just another log on the blazing stupidity fire. I personally couldn't care less if they gave it to Trump or not. It's just funny to think that the committee still imagines themselves to be relevant, and that they might feel that they have to give Trump a prize in order to maintain said imagined relevancy.

Dave Begley said...

I saw Mikka's take on this on Morning Joe. She looked like she was going to puke.

Amexpat said...

Any idea who nominated Obama?

It's not a big deal being nominated for the Nobel Peace prize. It can be done by any member of a national assembly, university professors in history, law and other diverse subjects, plus some other categories. There's over 300 nominated for 2019.

The committee members that consider the nominations are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and are free to do what they want after they are appointed. The Obama nomination was pushed through by the head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee at that time, Thorbjørn Jagland. He's not very bright, but he somehow persuaded the other members, some of whom were politically to the right, to go along.

Everyone here was baffled by the Obama nomination. It came out later that Rahm Emmanuel chewed out the Norwegian ambassador to the US for the nomination because it created politically problems domestically for Obama. The ambassador tried to explain that it's not the government that gives out the prize but rather an independent committee.

Amexpat said...

Could you explain that remark to me with an example or two?

Did you watch the press conference he gave in connection with the national emergency? He went on and on about the great 5-page letter Abe wrote. He went on and on about the great things he's done with North Korea.

rhhardin said...

Scott Adams says it's a hilarious example of Trump's thumb on the Nobel scale.

Trump mocking the prize.

tim in vermont said...

So what? Do you think that Obama giving a speech in front of those Greek columns in Berlin was somehow less showmanship?

Shrinking violets do not become POTUS. How this shows some kind of pathological need for praise rather than selling policies and attempting to get re-elected by pointing out his successes.

You view his every word through a poisoned eye, does it ever make you wonder if you are capable of impartial judgement when it comes to Trump?

tim in vermont said...

God knows the press isn’t going to take pictures of him with halos around his head or sing praises to him and defend and deny his failures like they did Obama. He has to do it himself whenever he has an unfiltered shot at talking to the American people.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

The prize money is also over a $1,000,000. Trump may not need that to pay the rent, but it's a good payday, even for him.

It's equal to what the Trump Corp. generates in revenue every 8.7 hours.

Amexpat said...

It's equal to what the Trump Corp. generates in revenue every 8.7 hours.

What percentage of that is profit that Trump gets?

Dude1394 said...

Trump has already deserved the peace prize ten fold over the warmonger Obama.

tim in vermont said...

Just the fact that you are talking about the million dollars proves that you hate Trump so viscerally that any judgements you make about him are worthless to anybody else. Why not simply do what Chuck does and post “I fucking hate Trump so I think everything is says or does is shit!” Or words to that effect anyway?

tim in vermont said...

Obama started a war, poured weapons into a civil war, displace millions and caused the drowning of tens of thousands of refugees from his wars and military adventures. All Trump does is wind down wars.

tim in vermont said...

Obama’s wars destabilized the EU.

tim in vermont said...

There is no peace nick, anti-war case against Trump. Nobody who is honestly anti-war should vote against him. But what I have noticed is that most people who claim to be anti war are just on the other side.

chuck said...

> but he has a needy ego

Any evidence of that? He seems rather thick skinned and quite willing to take positions unpopular with the press. I think this is just another example of the BS pop psychology popular on the left. It isn't explanatory, merely insulting, and enables the mediocre to feel a modicum of superiority.

Bruce Hayden said...

The thing is, that if anyone in the world deserves it right now, it is probably Trump.
- He got the North Koreans talking and backing away from their nuclearization
- Son in law Kushner appears to be the one behind pushing Israel and Saudi Arabia together. It seems to be working, as they work together to isolate Shiite Iran, and very possibly offer a nuclear shield over Islam’s two holiest sites.
- Continues to isolate Iran, which is reducing their ability to wage proxy terrorism throughout the Middle East and the rest of the world
- pulling US out of Syria and Afghanistan. Working with Taliban.

Which is probably why he won’t get it.

Amexpat said...

Just the fact that you are talking about the million dollars proves that you hate Trump so viscerally that any judgement you make about him are worthless to anybody else.

Wrong. I don't hate Trump. I'm at times amused at his antics - his performance on inauguration day reminded me fondly of a Marx brothers film - but mostly I think he's a jerk not worthy to be elected to high office. But I think that about a lot of politicians in both parties and across the political spectrum.

I'm actually more irritated by those on the left suffering from TDS and the media that is 24/7 anti-Trump.

Claiming that Trump has an over sized ego is not a jaundiced observation. I'm sure many Trump supporters would not disagree. From your comments, it looks like you're the one with a "poisonous eye" by assuming that anyone that makes a disparaging comment about Trump hates him and cannot think clearly because of that.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

give everyone a Prize! If You Had Fun, You Won !!

Michael K said...


There's doubt. Trump doesn't need the money...

Perhaps not but he has a needy ego. He loves praise, from whatever quarter it comes.


Do you know of a president who did not have one ?

Even Eisenhower talked about "the fire in the belly."

chuck said...

> Even Eisenhower talked about "the fire in the belly."

I wouldn't describe that as "needy". Children are "needy", the term is insulting when applied to adults. A big ego doesn't make one "needy".

Amexpat said...

Do you know of a president who did not have one?

Most politicians have big egos and often there's something askew in them that drives them to do what most sane people would not do, run for high office.

I don't think either of the Bushes or Reagan had needy egos. Obama I think was driven more by narcissism and Carter by a need to be morally superior. Clinton and Johnson were definitely needy.

Eisenhower was as close to an ideal public servant we've had as president in modern times. Of course he had pride and an ego but I don't think that he let that influence his important decisions.

My view is that Trump does let his pride and ego get in the way of doing what's best to implement his policy goals.

MadisonMan said...

This is Master Trolling by Trump -- because if anyone else now wins, everyone will compare what they've done to what Trump has done.

Master Trolling with a big assist from the frowning, scolding, finger-wagging MainStream Media corporatists.

Ajnal said...

"the U.S. government “informally” asked Tokyo to nominate Trump"

Ha! He had to ask for it!!

Yancey Ward said...

MadisonMan nails it- Trump is trolling the media, and they will fall for it once again.

Michael K said...

My view is that Trump does let his pride and ego get in the way of doing what's best to implement his policy goals.

I don't think anybody did not know that Trump has a big ego. That was obvious. The problems with getting his policy goals have nothing to do with his ego. The problem is the uniparty that Codevilla warned us about. Reagan had his agenda in mind long before he ran for office. What is unique about Trump is that he sensed the sentiment of the public that Hillary called "Deplorables," maybe from his contact with trade union members in construction, and decided to try to implement their wishes.

The best analogy I can think of is Pinochet. He left Chile the richest country in South America and is hated by the left all over the World.

Freder Frederson said...

The best analogy I can think of is Pinochet. He left Chile the richest country in South America and is hated by the left all over the World.

He is hated by the left because he was a murdering, torturing, despot.

Next up from Michael K: "I don't know why Hitler gets such a bad rap, he saved Germany's economy and restored its respect."

Freder Frederson said...

And not only does Michael K's statement ignore Pinochet's deplorable human rights record, it is a lie. Chile's economy took off after Pinochet was ousted (and after they moderated their Chicago School economic policies).

Qwinn said...

Pinochet was "ousted"?

Once he'd made sure the communists were no longer a threat, he held free and fair elections, lost and stepped down voluntarily.

Name one leftist dictator who ever did the same.

Just one.

narciso said...

he foolishly assumed the center left wouldn't break their deal, as they have broken amnesties where they have seen fit

https://dailycaller.com/2019/02/18/options-trump-venezuelan-military-notice/

Jim at said...

He is hated by the left because he was a murdering, torturing, despot.

Snort. Freder hates those types unless they're Stalin, Pol Pot, Castro ....

Freder Frederson said...

Name one leftist dictator who ever did the same.

Umm, Daniel Ortega. Granted, he is being a dick his second time around (when he was initially elected in free and fair elections).

MadisonMan said...

Chile's economy took off after Pinochet was ousted

Therefore, it was credited to Pinochet.

That's how it works here too. Trump's Economy is really Obama's triumph. Right?

Freder Frederson said...


Snort. Freder hates those types unless they're Stalin, Pol Pot, Castro ....

Okay, find one post where I defended any of these. You may find a post where I said stalin wasn't as bad as Hitle,but Churchill agreed with me.

Michael K said...

As I recall, Ortega was defeated in a surprise win by Violet Chamorro a woman.

In 1989, Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega met with the presidents of El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala to hammer out a peace plan for his nation. In exchange for promises from the other nations to close down Contra bases within their borders, Ortega agreed to free elections within a year. These were held on February 26, 1990. Ortega and the Sandinistas suffered a stunning defeat when Violeta Barrios de Chamarro, widow of a newspaper editor assassinated during the Somoza years, polled over 55 percent of the presidential vote. The opposition also captured the National Assembly.

I am trying very hard to avoid the leftist trolls.

tim in vermont said...

by assuming that anyone that makes a disparaging comment about Trump hates him and cannot think clearly because of that.

No, I just said that your particular disparaging comment was inane and basically eviscerates your credibility.

narciso said...

They read the book as well and Ortega and his collectivo mobs have made sure you cant repeat 1990, although the house of cards chavezs money held together has fallen apart.

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