Norway’s Member of Parliament Christian Tybring-Gjedde poses for a photograph in Oslo, Norway November 17, 2014. Picture taken November 17, 2014. NTB Scanpix/Torstein Boe via REUTERS
The Norwegian MP who last week nominated Donald Trump for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize said Tuesday the US president may come across as “boorish and arrogant” but insisted he was a “worthy” candidate.
Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of parliament for Norway’s anti-immigration populist party, made waves on September 10 when he announced he had nominated Trump for the prestigious prize.
He cited the “unique and historic” agreement Trump helped broker normalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he told AFP.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee welcomes all the names submitted in the hundreds every year, as long as they are sent in by January 31 for the year in question and are submitted by those eligible to nominate, meaning members of parliament and government from around the world, former laureates, and some university professors.
The initiative by Tybring-Gjedde, who is controversial in Norway, made headlines around the world, less than two months ahead of the US presidential election on November 3.
Running for a second term, Trump revelled in the nomination and sent a flurry of tweets celebrating it.
On Tuesday, Tybring-Gjedde expanded in Norwegian daily Aftenposten on why he had put forth Trump’s name a second time, after a first nomination in 2018.
“There is little doubt that Trump often comes across as boorish and arrogant,” he wrote.
“My nomination is based on the results obtained in the name of world peace, reconciliation, and the withdrawal of military troops … It is possible that it is Donald Trump’s undiplomatic attitude that makes his conversations end up being more than just words,” he explained.
According to Tybring-Gjedde, the 74-year-old billionaire meets the criteria defined by prize creator Alfred Nobel more than previous laureates.
“Whether or not you like Trump’s personality is not important in this context. Donald Trump is … a worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize,” he concluded.
In line with tradition, the Nobel Institute has refused to comment on the nomination.
“It’s important to tell the world that being nominated doesn’t say anything about how the Norwegian Nobel Committee views a nomination,” Nobel Institute director Olav Njolstad told AFP.
“Since so many people are eligible to nominate candidates, it’s clear that the spectrum of individuals and organisations nominated is very vast,” he added.
Swedish member of parliament Magnus Jacobsson has also nominated Trump for the 2021 Nobel for his rapprochement efforts between Serbia and Kosovo.
The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 9.
