Should Donald Trump have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Stephanie (Yes)

President Donald Trump is a deserving candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, as is evidenced by the very source of his nomination. Norwegian Parliament member Christian Tybring-Gjedde, who--referring to the president's sometimes brash behavior--openly said, 'I'm not a big Trump supporter,' was the man who nominated him. This indicates that favoritism was clearly not a factor in considering a nominee. 

However, Tybring-Gjedde clarified that the nomination is the result of President Trump's actions toward creating peace, and not 'how he behaves sometimes.' He continued that other recipients of the prestigious award 'have done much less than Donald Trump' and that 'Barack Obama did nothing.'

When Obama received the prize in 2009, some argued that it was too early for him to receive it and that he should have provided concrete results rather than just 'efforts.' Now that President Trump is nearing the end of his term, he has certainly proven his merit to be honored alongside other U.S. Presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Jimmy Carter.

Providing examples of President Trump's peacekeeping actions, Tybring-Gjedde explained how the Trump administration has successfully established relations between Israel and the UAE, which has the potential to increase peace, 'cooperation, and prosperity' in the Middle East. He went on to note that Trump has also 'broken a 39-year-old streak of American Presidents either starting a war or bringing the United States into an international armed conflict.' Further, Tybring-Gjedde explained, Trump has tackled conflicts between other countries including notable tensions between North and South Korea, North Korea's potential nuclear threat, and 'the Kashmir border dispute between India and Pakistan.'

Kevin (No)

Noam Chomsky once said, 'If the Nuremberg laws were applied, then every post-war American president would have been hanged.' Though this was communicated long before the Trump presidency, the current president's actions have done no more to promote peace than those of any previous president. Revealingly, it may be worth noting that at least one former Nobel committee member has expressed regret about awarding the Peace Prize to Barack Obama, stating that doing so 'failed to achieve what the committee hoped it would.' 

As for Donald Trump, actions such as the assassination of Qassem Soleimani and the pardoning of war criminals are not the kinds of things that deserve a prize for peacemaking. The Soleimani assassination is only one example of Trump undermining peace in Iran and elsewhere. 

Christian Tybring-Gjedde cited the recent Israel-UAE peace agreement as a reason for nominating Trump. While it is true that the deal was 'brokered' by the current administration, it appears that the Emiratis made the first moves. Although the United States' role may not be entirely insignificant in acting as a facilitator, Trump himself seems to have done little. Certainly not enough to make up for everything else.

Although the Peace Prize is generally more about international affairs, it should perhaps not be overlooked that Trump has also incited violence among his followers here at home. This has been a problem since his 2016 campaign rallies and has continued throughout his presidency. Donald Trump is not a man of peace.