In a move drawing international attention and praise from supporters, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Thursday officially nominated U.S. President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him with halting a deadly regional conflict that had threatened to spiral into a larger war.
The recognition comes after President Trump brokered a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, who had been locked in a five-day military standoff involving airstrikes, artillery shelling, and rising casualties.
The clashes displaced over 300,000 civilians and left dozens dead along the nearly 500-mile border shared by the two Southeast Asian nations.
“Just spoke to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand and Prime Minister of Cambodia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 28. “I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J. Trump, both Countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE… I am proud to be the President of PEACE!”
In a formal letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Hun Manet expressed the gratitude of the Cambodian people “both inside and outside of Cambodia,” saying the ceasefire was made possible by Trump’s “initiative and support” and “his continuous attention on its successful implementation until peace is fully achieved.”
He went on to confirm that he had submitted Trump’s name for consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Wall Street Journal noted that Trump made the cessation of hostilities a condition for rolling back the “high reciprocal tariffs” he had threatened to impose on both Cambodia and Thailand.
That economic pressure — a signature Trump tactic — appears to have helped bring both parties to the negotiating table. By Monday, the leaders of both countries had agreed to a truce during a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.
On social media, the ceasefire sparked a wave of grassroots support for Trump across Southeast Asia.
Platforms were flooded with hashtags such as #ThanksTrump, #PresidentOfPeace, and #TrumpForPeacePrize, with viral tributes portraying Trump as a global statesman. Thai PBS World reported that memes and digital portraits of Trump standing with U.S. and Cambodian flags, often featuring Cambodian children displaced by the fighting, had circulated widely online.
This isn’t the first time Trump’s peacemaking efforts have been recognized abroad. Just weeks earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize following diplomatic interventions in the Middle East. Pakistan followed suit, crediting Trump with de-escalating tensions in its long-standing conflict with India.
While Western media outlets have often portrayed Trump as a polarizing figure, his global diplomacy — particularly his willingness to wield U.S. influence and economic leverage in pursuit of peace — is earning admiration in unexpected corners of the world. Supporters argue that this latest ceasefire is yet another example of Trump’s unorthodox but effective approach to conflict resolution.
For critics, the Nobel nomination may prove politically inconvenient. But for millions in Southeast Asia, the result is tangible: the sound of gunfire has been replaced, at least for now, by silence — and hope.
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