Trump Calls Norway a "Shithouse Country" After Missing the Nobel Peace Prize

Trump Calls Norway a "Shithouse Country" After Missing the Nobel Peace Prize

A Michigan Rally Detour Turns Into an Attack on Norway

On Oct. 25, at a midterm campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, Donald Trump veered off a speech about immigration and turned his fire on Norway. "I'm not in love with Norway. Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shithouse country, actually," he said, to cheers and laughter from the crowd, according to POLITICO Europe.

Eight Wars Settled, Still No Prize

Trump's grievance was explicit: he had "settled eight wars" yet was passed over by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the body that picks the peace prize winner each year. "I don't want anybody from Norway. I don't want anything to do with Norway," he said, as reported by Forbes. It was his second straight year missing out on the prize, and the 80-year-old president made no effort to hide his anger.

The Prize Went to an 85-Year-Old Jurist From South Africa

This year's Nobel Peace Prize, announced on Oct. 9 in Oslo, went to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist. The Guardian reported that the committee honored her for having "contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law," calling her "one of the most respected international jurists of our time." Al Jazeera noted that Pillay, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, was recognized for work ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

"An Indelible Stain": The Truth Social Outburst

Trump had already lashed out the day Pillay won. According to Forbes, he wrote a lengthy Truth Social post saying: "I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else! In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel." In the same post he claimed he "should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1," and called the outcome "an indelible stain on Norway, one that will never be forgotten."

A January Letter Tied the Grudge to Greenland

The grudge runs back months. Forbes reported that in January, Trump wrote to Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store expressing displeasure at missing out on the previous year's prize: "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace." The letter appeared to link his threats over Greenland to the Nobel snub.

Denmark Welcome, Norway and Somalia Not

At Port Huron, Trump fused the Nobel complaint with immigration. POLITICO Europe quoted him praising Denmark as a "good country" whose newcomers he would welcome, while saying he had "had it" with Somalia. Norway, he added, was now unwanted too, "because I didn't get the Nobel Prize." The Independent noted that Trump has previously used the same vulgar label for Haiti, Libya, Somalia and Yemen; Norway is the newest addition to that list.

A Committee Decides, but a Whole Country Takes the Hit

The prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee, not the Norwegian government itself. Still, Trump broadened his attack from the committee to the entire country, declaring he wanted nothing to do with it, not even its immigrants. CNBC reported that immediately after Pillay's win he had already called the decision "disgraceful and embarrassing," leaving what he termed a stain on Norway, which hosts the committee.

What Comes Next for Washington and Oslo

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has responded, telling NRK that the Nobel committee is independent, and his ministry declined to comment further. The open question is whether Trump's rhetoric hardens into policy affecting visas, tariffs or Arctic cooperation, including the Greenland question he has tied to the prize. European allies will be watching whether Norway answers back or lets the rally outburst pass. Either way, a prize meant to honor peacemaking has become a fresh irritant in transatlantic relations.