According to the Bloomberg News agency, the US President Donald Trump and climate activist Greta Thunberg are both front-runners for the Nobel Peace Prize that is going to be awarded in the month of October. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has received 301 nominations from around the world this year. The nominations of Trump and Thunberg were both put forward by Norwegian lawmakers from opposing sides of the political spectrum.
A few days ago President Trump had asserted that he would get a Nobel prize if they would hand it out fairly. “I think I’ll get a Nobel prize for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don’t,” Trump told reporters while he was with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
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While talking about the Nobel Prize, Trump had also criticised the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to former US President Barack Obama right after he was elected as the US President. Trump said, “He had no idea why he got it and you know what, that was the only thing I agreed with him on.” Trump had earlier in the year said that Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe had nominated him for the peace prize but he has not confirmed about it.
It is notable to mention that Trump is facing the threat of impeachment for the third time in his tenure. He is currently facing the threat of impeachment over a whistle-blower’s complaint alleging that he abused his power when he asked Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Joe Biden.
Another controversial nominee for the Nobel peace prize is the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who recently drew flak for her zealous critique of the horrific ramifications of the climate change at the United Nations. Speaking to dozens of heads of states, business leaders, and senior representatives from civil society from around the world, Greta, in an overly theatrical manner held them all accountable for the deteriorating environment, telling them that they are still “not mature enough to tell it like it is”.
Other top contenders for the prize include three youth peace activists Hajer Sharief, Ilwad Elman and Nathan Law Kwun-chung, Reporters Without Borders, Control Arms Coalition etc. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is a top nominee for the prize, for the reconciliation he forged in 2018 with Eritrea, ending the war between the neighbouring countries, he is also pushing Ethiopia towards new democratic freedoms.