President Donald Trump launched a scathing verbal attack on Norway during a Michigan campaign rally on Sunday. He used crude language to express his bitterness over losing the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump’s outburst was the latest one in a prolonged feud with the Scandinavian nation.
Donald Trump calls out Norway amid Nobel snub
Donald Trump told the Michigan crowd he had expected to win the Nobel Peace Prize before the announcement. “I said, ‘first lady, I get the Nobel Prize in two weeks, and it’ll be an honor,'” he recounted. When the award instead went to South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, Trump made his feelings about Norway unmistakably clear. “Frankly, Norway sucks,” Trump declared. “Norway has become a s***house country, actually. I don’t want anybody from Norway. I don’t want anything to do with Norway.”
The president’s anger is based on his belief that his diplomatic record deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. During the rally, he claimed credit for resolving international conflicts. “I settled eight wars, and I got two more coming,” Trump said, pointing to Iran and the Russia-Ukraine war.
However, Trump’s grievance with Norway partly reflects a misunderstanding of the award process. The Norwegian Nobel Committee—an independent five-member body appointed by Norway’s parliament—selects laureates. The government plays no role in choosing winners.
However, this is not Trump’s first attack on the country over the Nobel Peace Prize. After Pillay’s October 9 selection, he called the decision “an indelible stain” on the country and complained about the winner on social media. Pillay earned recognition for her work promoting peace and international law, including serving as a former U.N. human rights chief.
For those unaware, Trump has pursued the Nobel Peace Prize since his first term, frequently contrasting himself with former President Barack Obama, who won in 2009. He has claimed he “should have gotten it four or five times” and insisted his diplomatic achievements merit recognition.
The White House, the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee have not commented yet.
