A member of the Nobel Peace Prize committee blasted Trump over his human rights violations.
Thorbjorn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe [1] spoke out against Trump and his zero-tolerance policy of dealing with immigrants this week, telling Norwegian broadcaster TV2 that “[Trump] is no longer the moral leader of his country or the world.”
“What is happening at the [US-Mexico] border where he [Trump] is separating children from their parents is a sign that he is no longer the moral leader of his country or the world,” Jagland said.
“Everything he does excludes him from the role American presidents have always had,” Jagland continued, adding that: “He can not speak on behalf of the so-called free world.”
His comments are particularly noteworthy as Jagland serves as one of the five members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee which annually awards the Nobel Peace Prize in addition to his role as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The Hill reported on Jagland’s remarks, writing that: “Many lawmakers previously supported the idea of Trump being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in convening a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier this month. But Jagland and many other heads of human rights groups have spoken out against Trump this week for his immigration policy.”
Trump, who seems driven at times by jealousy of his predecessor Barack Obama, has mused online and in conversation about receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. (You might recall that Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama’s vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.“)
The New York Times reported on remarks Trump made after a group of 18 House Republicans formally submitted his name for consideration for the 2019 Nobel.
“Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it,” Mr. Trump said with a laugh on Wednesday when asked if he deserved the prize. “The prize I want is victory for the world.”
More recently, MSN News reported last week that Kellyanne Conway took a jab at former President Obama over the Nobel Peace Prize after Trump’s return from the North Korea Summit, stating that: Obama “was handed” the Nobel but that Trump “is actually going to earn it.”
However, considering Jagland’s remarks, the chances of Trump getting anywhere near a Nobel Peace Prize may have just been ruined by none other than Trump himself.
FOOTNOTE 1: The Council of Europe has 47 signatory states and BBC News provided the following profile:
The Council of Europe, Europe’s oldest political body, aims to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law across the continent…. Members must respect the rights and freedoms laid out in the body’s treaties, including its centrepiece, the European Convention on Human Rights. The council oversees and enforces rulings made by the European Court of Human Rights, which considers cases brought by individuals and groups against the signatories to the convention.
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