- Donald Trump reportedly cold-called a Norwegian official about his chances at winning the Nobel Peace Prize, according to Norwegian news outlet Dagens Næringsliv
- The foreign paper cited sources who said that Trump called Norway’s finance minister “out of the blue” in July, to discuss both the Nobel Prize and the country’s tariff rates
- Trump — who has expressed frustration that he doesn’t have a Nobel Peace Prize yet — has recently been nominated by three countries for his peace-brokering efforts
Donald Trump reportedly called a Norwegian official unprompted about obtaining the country’s Nobel Peace Prize, in the same conversation that he discussed tariffs he was imposing on the nation.
Norwegian outlet Dagens Næringsliv reported on Aug. 14 that Trump called Norway’s Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg in July regarding his chances at winning the Nobel Peace Prize. The international accolade is bestowed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, who are appointed by Norway’s legislature.
“Out of the blue, while Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called,” DN reported, citing sources. “He wanted the Nobel Prize — and to discuss tariffs.”
Trump has publicly lamented multiple times that he has not yet received the honor, which has been awarded to four former U.S. presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
On July 31, Trump announced a 15% tariff on Norwegian imports, though more recently, Stoltenberg said that tariff rates are still being negotiated between Norway and the United States.
Then-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in 2018.
LOEB/AFP via Getty
After DN reported on the apparent conversation between Trump and Stoltenberg, Politico confirmed with a government official in Oslo that the call took place.
Stoltenberg told Politico that the call preceded Trump’s chat with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and involved U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“We discussed tariffs, economic cooperation, and it served as preparation for his call with Prime Minister Støre. I will not go into further detail about the content of the conversation,” Stoltenberg told the outlet in a statement.
Trump was nominated for the prize by Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia — and has been publicly endorsed for the prize by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Rwanda — for his efforts in brokering peace deals and ceasefires, per Newsweek.
Donald Trump speaks to the press at the White House on June 27, 2025.
Hu Yousong/Xinhua via Getty
The Nobel Peace Prize is annually bestowed on an individual or organization that has done outstanding work “for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses,” per its site.
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This year, there were 338 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize. The deadline for nominations was Jan. 31, and the recipient will be announced in October.