Cambodia to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for helping broker peace deal with Thailand

Cambodia floated plans Friday to nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for working to broker a ceasefire agreement that helped the country end its border war with Thailand. 

“He should get the Nobel, not only for his work on Cambodia but also elsewhere,” Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, adding that Phnom Penh will present the president’s name to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. 

Trump warned last week that if the cross-border fighting, which lasted for five days, between Cambodia and Thailand did not end soon, neither nation would reach a trade agreement with the U.S. 

The president spoke with Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday, sharing that the neighboring countries reached a “CEASEFIRE and PEACE.” 

After the pause in fighting was reached, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on social platform X that Trump “made this happen."

She added in her Monday post, "Give him the Nobel Peace Prize!” 

The truce was brokered in Malaysia, negotiations that were attended by U.S. government officials. The war between the two nations killed at least 45 people and displaced more than 300,000 residents on both sides. 

The Trump administration said last week that both Thailand and Cambodia will have their goods subject to a 19 percent tariff. Trump initially threatened to impose a 49 percent tariff on Cambodia’s items coming into the U.S., later lowering it to 36 percent. 

On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed that the two nations had reached trade agreements with the U.S., though few details were provided.

Since returning to office, Trump has been recommended to receive the prestigious award by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Pakistani officials and a handful of Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits.