The key facts

  • At a rally in Port Huron, Michigan, Trump called Norway a 'shithouse country' and said he does not want immigrants from there because of being denied the Nobel Peace Prize
  • This year's prize went to judge and former head of the UN human rights office Navi Pillay of South Africa
  • Norway's Foreign Ministry confirmed the Nobel Committee's independence; no official changes to US immigration policy have been announced

Remarks at a rally in Michigan

US President Donald Trump harshly criticized Norway during a Sunday campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, held ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. According to AFP, he called the country a 'shithouse country' and said that Norwegian immigrants were unwelcome in the US because the Nobel Committee had not awarded him the Peace Prize. 'Honestly, Norway sucks. Norway has essentially become a shithouse country,' he said. Trump added that he was willing to accept immigrants from a number of countries, but not from Norway, 'because I didn't get the Nobel Prize.' At the same time, AFP notes, there were no official signs of any new US policy toward Norwegian immigrants.

Context of the prize and Norway's reaction

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has openly expressed a desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This year's laureate was judge and former head of the UN human rights office Navi Pillay of South Africa. Trump called the committee's decision 'shameful and humiliating' and claimed the prize should have gone to him. On Monday, Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide responded to the president's remarks, saying on the air of the national broadcaster NRK that the committee is independent: 'He knows perfectly well that the Nobel Committee is independent. We have reminded him of this, in case anyone had any doubts — and it remains so.' AFP also recalls that in 2018, during his first term, Trump was already criticized for using similar vulgar language about Haiti and several African countries.

Significance

Statements by a head of state about immigrants from a specific country being unwelcome affect both Norwegians planning to move to the US and bilateral relations between allies. In practical terms, however, according to AFP, no new immigration policy has been announced, and Oslo limited itself to reminding about the independence of the Nobel Committee, so the real consequences remain unclear for now.