Trump says Norway not welcome over Nobel snub, Norway says committee is independent
- Trump told a Michigan rally he does not want immigrants from Norway because he did not win the Nobel Peace Prize.
- He used vulgar language about Norway, whose Nobel Committee gave this year's prize to Navi Pillay.
- Norway's foreign minister said the committee is independent and Trump knows it.
US President Donald Trump has said he does not want immigrants from Norway, tying the remark to his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He made the comment at a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, ahead of US midterm elections on November 3.
At the rally, Trump used crude language to describe Norway, saying the country had deteriorated and that he would not accept people from there. He said he would welcome immigrants from some other countries, but not Norway, because the prize did not go to him.
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to Navi Pillay, a South African judge and former United Nations human rights chief. Trump has called that choice shameful and embarrassing, and insists the award should have been his.
There was no official sign that Washington had changed its immigration rules for Norwegians. The remarks were made at a political rally, not announced as policy.
Norway's response
Norway's Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, said on Monday that the body that awards the prize is independent. He told national broadcaster NRK that Trump is well aware of this and that Norway has reminded him of it.
This is not the first time Trump has used coarse language about other countries. In 2018, during his first term, he faced criticism for similar remarks about Haiti and some African nations.
What happens next
Nothing in the sources suggests a new US visa or immigration rule for Norwegians. The comments come in the middle of a US election campaign, with midterm elections due on November 3.
