Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not deny nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize as a result of his diplomatic efforts with North Korea.
“I never said I didn’t,” Abe said in response to a question from Parliament lawmakers in Japan.
Abe declined to comment affirmatively to Trump’s assertion that he had received a kind letter from Abe about his decision to nominate him for the Nobel Prize.
“In light of the Nobel committee’s policy of not disclosing recommenders and nominees for 50 years, I decline to comment,” Abe said, according to the Guardian.
Trump revealed the existence of the letter on Friday, speaking with reporters at a press conference at the White House.
“He said, ‘I have nominated you’ or ‘Respectfully, on behalf of Japan, I am asking them to give you the Nobel Peace Prize,'” Trump recalled about Abe. “I said, ‘Thank you. Many other people feel that way, too.'”
Abe has developed a friendship with Trump, golfing with him on multiple occasions and staying at his Mar-a-Lago club.
Trump said it was unlikely that he would ever win the Nobel Peace Prize, noting that the committee gave Obama a prize before he did anything.
“I’ll probably never get it, but that’s okay,” Trump said, adding, “With me, I probably will never get it.”
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