Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) said Thursday that President Trump “should be well on his way” to winning the Nobel Peace Prize if he is successful in prompting North Korea to disarm its nuclear capabilities.
Trump said this week that talks with North and South Korean leaders have come “a long way” and suggested optimism that the countries are on the cusp of a diplomatic breakthrough.
“If North Korea talks lead to concrete action, President Trump should be well on his way to his own Nobel Peace Prize,” Messer said in a statement. “North Korea is signaling for the first time a willingness to discuss disarming its nuclear capabilities. If this happens, it would be a direct result of President Trump’s strong leadership and decisive action toward the brutal North Korean tyrant.”
“Meaningful talks would be more progress than we saw during the entire Obama Administration,” Messer added. “President Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for being a charming presidential candidate. If North Korea disarms, President Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize would be well deserved.”
North Korea indicated earlier this week that the country would be open to beginning negotiations with the U.S., and it would stop testing nuclear missiles if the U.S. agreed to talks.
{mosads}This development follows months of conflict between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who traded insults amid North Korea’s continued testing of its intercontinental ballistic missiles, which it claims are able to reach the continental U.S.
Messer’s comments praising Trump come just days after the Nobel Peace Prize committee said they were investigating what they believed to be a possibly fake nomination of Trump for the award.
Obama received the award in 2009 for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples.”