US President Donald Trump was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, and the development has raised concerns in Norway.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Officials in Oslo are reportedly on edge, bracing for how the US President might take the news.
Inside the usually calm halls of the Nobel Committee, tension is running high as diplomats, analysts, and politicians all wait to see what Trump does next.
Trump’s strong pursuit of the prize, coupled with his contentious international record, is driving anxiety over potential diplomatic consequences.
Norwegian officials worry his response could spark tensions that threaten US-Norway relations and Europe’s diplomatic stability.
Political implications ripple through Oslo
Norway’s government is doing its best to disassociate itself from the decision of who gets the Nobel Peace Prize, and officials have been repeating that message over and over, insisting the Nobel Committee operates completely independently.
But not everyone is confident that the message will land with Donald Trump.
Kirsti Bergstø, leader of Norway’s Socialist Left Party, emphasized the independence of the Nobel Committee, but expressed concern over Donald Trump’s awareness of the fact.
At home, politicians are uneasy about how Trump might react. Many still remember his past threats of tariffs and sanctions against US allies whenever he felt slighted.
Media in Norway and Europe depict the rejection as a serious diplomatic risk, fueling speculation that Trump could retaliate via trade, NATO dialogue, or strong statements.
Recent reports reveal that Trump called Norway’s Finance Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, supposedly to talk about tariffs, but before long, the conversation veered straight to his Nobel Peace Prize ambitions.
It’s a clear sign of just how much the prize has been on his mind.
Now, as Oslo juggles efforts to ease the 15% US tariffs on Norwegian exports and manages its huge sovereign wealth investments in America, officials are bracing themselves.
Both public and behind-the-scenes retaliation from Trump’s side feel like real possibilities, keeping Norway on high alert.
Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Why Trump was passed over?
The Nobel Committee actually made its final decision earlier this week, before Trump’s high-profile push for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, something his supporters had hoped would boost his chances.
But experts point out that last-minute geopolitical moves like this simply weren’t part of the committee’s considerations.
Instead, the focus was on Trump’s bigger picture: pulling out of global treaties, stirring division among allies, and a host of domestic controversies that didn’t exactly line up with the qualities the Nobel Prize traditionally honors.
His very public lobbying, claiming he “deserves” the prize and reaching out to Norwegian and international figures, may have done more harm than good, making his campaign seem political rather than fitting with the committee’s long-standing norms of impartiality.
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