President Donald Trump linked an attack on Norway to his grievance over the Nobel Peace Prize at a Michigan rally, drawing a response from Norway’s foreign minister about the committee’s independence.
At a campaign rally in Port Huron on Oct. 25, Trump said, “Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shithouse country, actually.” An archived recording also captures him saying, “I don’t want anybody from Norway,” as he connected the remark to not receiving the prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Oct. 9 that it had awarded its 2026 Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay. The committee said it recognized her efforts to promote peace and international law.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told NRK on Oct. 26 that Norway had already explained to Trump that the prize committee makes its decisions independently. EconoTimes previously covered Eide’s explanation of the committee’s separation from Norway’s government.
The committee describes itself as a private body that operates independently. It says Alfred Nobel’s will assigns selection of its five members to Norway’s parliament, the Storting.
The 2025 Peace Prize went to María Corina Machado, the committee said. MercoPress reported that Trump had also expressed anger after Machado received the award.
