Donald Trump
(Bloomberg) — Norway is bracing for the aftermath of the Nobel Peace Prize announcement on Friday as the Nordic nation has faced increasing pressure from Donald Trump and his administration to award it to the US leader.
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Trump’s aggressive push to secure the prize, including public declarations he deserves it and calls to Norwegian officials, has intensified with a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and a possible peace deal. At the same time, the decisionmakers at the Norwegian Nobel Committee have signaled that this pressure has been futile.
In a social media post overnight Thursday, Trump’s son Eric asked his followers on X to “retweet if you believe @realDonaldTrump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.” The White House official account on X posted a photo of Trump calling him “The Peace President” at about the same time.
His campaign has thrust Oslo into an uncomfortable spotlight, with media and observers worrying about the diplomatic and economic fallout for Norway should the independent five-member committee snub him. The latest comments from its head, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, to local media fell just short of confirming that Trump won’t get it at least this year — in line with past examples where pressure on the committee has been counterproductive.
Watne Frydnes told Norwegian tabloid VG that the decision on this year’s award was made Monday. He also indicated in comments to public broadcaster NRK that the possible peace deal in the Middle East would only count toward next year’s award. Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has reiterated that the government does not interfere in Nobel decisions.
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Meanwhile, Trump has become the favorite among the bookmakers, according to Oddschecker. He’s followed by Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, a volunteer aid network operating in the war-torn nation, and Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Still, the bookies have often been off the mark in the past.
Nominations for the 2025 prize closed on Jan. 31, shortly after Trump’s return to the White House. However, President Barack Obama famously got the prize in 2009 just months into the start of his presidency.
Norway is currently in negotiations with the US for a trade deal — hoping for a reduction of a 15% tariff on its shipments to the US — with Trade Minister Cecilie Myrseth meeting officials in Washington, DC, this week.