A group of Republicans said Trump's 'peace by strength' policies have forced North Korea to compromise on its nuclear programme
DONALD Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work easing nuclear tensions with North Korea.
A group of 18 Republicans signed a letter putting the US President, 71, up for the award won by his predecessor Barack Obama in 2009.
Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are working out the details of a historic meeting which could take place by the end of May.
The former reality TV star, who says he wants to convince Kim to ditch his nuclear programme, would become the first sitting US president to meet with a North Korean head of state.
Kim has repeatedly risked sanctions or worse by conducting illegal missile tests off the Korean Peninsula, with at least one rocket fired over the Japanese mainland.
But he recently told a visiting Chinese diplomat he is committed to getting rid of his nukes and bringing peace to the region.
It emerged just days after Kim's unprecedented meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in which they vowed to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons.
They also agreed to cooperate on ending the Korean War, 65 years after the armistice.
Trump's supporters on Capitol Hill suggest he is largely responsible for these advancements in peace talks.
On Saturday night, Republicans chanted "Nobel" as Trump talked about North Korea at a Michigan rally.
The letter signed by Republican lawmakers said Trump's "peace through strength policies" have forced North Korea to compromise.
It also said the Trump administration united China and others in imposing strict sanctions.
"The sanctions have decimated the North Korean economy and have been largely credited for bringing North Korea to the negotiating table," the letter stated.
The lawmakers who signed the letter are among the most conservative in the House.
They include Marsha Blackburn, who is running for a Senate seat in Tennessee, Kevin Cramer, who is running for the Senate in North Dakota and Evan Jenkins, who is running for the Senate in West Virginia.
Jim Renacci, who is running for a Senate seat in Ohio and Diane Black, running for governor in Tennessee, also signed the letter.
