Norway tells Trump Nobel committee is independent

At a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, President Donald Trump called Norway a "shit house country" and said Norwegian immigrants are not welcome in the United States because the Nobel committee in Oslo did not give him the Peace Prize, Reuters reported. On Monday, Norway's foreign minister answered that Trump knows the committee works independently of the Norwegian government.reuters.com

"Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shit house country, actually," Trump said, AFP reported via France 24. He said he would accept immigrants from some countries but not Norway "because I didn't get the Nobel Prize," adding, "So I don't want anybody from Norway." According to France 24, there was no official sign of any new U.S. policy on Norwegian immigrants. The Straits Times noted that Trump has used the same term before for Haiti, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.dw.com+1

Oslo's Response

"He knows very well that the Nobel committee is independent," Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told public broadcaster NRK on Monday morning. "We have reminded him of that, in case anyone is wondering, and that is still the case." According to The New York Times, Eide played down the insult as campaign rhetoric and said Norway places "great importance" on its long relationship with the United States. Erik Aasheim, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Nobel Institute, said the committee "is entirely independent of the Norwegian government," the Times reported. The five committee members are appointed by Norway's parliament, Anadolu Agency noted.nytimes.com+2

A Long-Running Grievance

This year's prize went to Navi Pillay, a South African judge and former U.N. human rights chief. The committee recognized her work "in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted," according to The Hill. At the rally, Trump said the prize "was gotten by a woman that nobody ever heard of," The Hill reported. He had earlier called the choice "a disgraceful and embarrassing decision," France 24 reported.france24.com+1

Trump has openly wanted the award since returning to office. Last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, presented her prize to him in Washington, though the committee said this was not an official transfer, according to The Hill. Sunday's remarks came ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, France 24 noted. The Times reported that Norwegians met the comments with "bewilderment and exasperation." Some pointed out that in 2018 Trump had praised Norway when he contrasted it with Haiti.thehill.com+2