Remarkable news emerged on Wednesday: Donald Trump has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

This sounds extraordinary. After all, since declaring his presidential candidacy in June 2015, Trump has insulted a war hero, Latinos, a disabled reporter, and a popular Fox News anchor, and even once likened another Republican presidential candidate to a child molester.

But a nomination and a prize are not the same. The Nobel committees invite thousands of people every year to nominate peace prize recipients. Hundreds of candidates normally reach the desk of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and previous nominees have included Russian President Vladimir Putin, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, and U2 singer Bono.

Trump's nomination letter said he should win the prize because of "his vigorous peace through strength ideology, used as a threat weapon of deterrence against radical Islam, ISIS, nuclear Iran and Communist China," a Nobel watcher told French media.

It's unclear who nominated Trump, the billionaire real estate mogul turned Republican presidential candidate, or what they could have possibly been thinking.

Trump has prompted international outrage by calling for a ban on all Muslims entering the US and by saying the Mexican government is sending America "criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc."

Then again, Trump has promised to "beat the shit out of" the Islamic State if elected president — so maybe there's more truth to the nomination than we first thought.

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