US asked Japanese leader to nominate Trump for Nobel Prize: report

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize on the request of the U.S. government.

Reuters, citing a report from the Japanese newspaper Asahi, noted that the U.S. government reached out to Abe months after the president’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore. 

{mosads}An unidentified Japanese government official told the newspaper about the request, according to Reuters. 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

The report came after Trump claimed on Friday that Abe had nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach a peace agreement with North Korea.

“In fact, I think I can say this. Prime Minister Abe of Japan gave me the most beautiful copy of a letter that he sent to the people who give out a thing called the Nobel [Peace] Prize,” Trump said while speaking at the White House Rose Garden. “He said, ‘I have nominated you … respectfully on behalf of Japan. I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize.’ “

Trump added that he would “many other people” despite “many other people” who thought he was deserving of the honor.

The president did not indicate when Abe nominated him for the award. 

Discussions about Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize have persisted since two Norwegian lawmakers nominated him for the prize after he signed an agreement with Kim to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. 

Trump confirmed earlier this month that a second summit with Kim would take place in Hanoi, Vietnam.