The stinging message to Oslo follows President Trump’s bitterness over missing out on the coveted Nobel Peace Prize.
Simmering resentment over US President Donald Trump’s failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize resurfaced after he told Norway’s prime minister he no longer had an obligation to “think purely about peace”.
In a message confirmed to have been delivered to Norwegian leader Jonas Gahr Store on Monday, President Trump wrote: “Given that my country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing eight wars plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely about peace.”
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Analysts and observers have questioned President Trump’s claim that he has ended eight wars, some short-lived, like those involving India and Pakistan, and others still hot, such as Israel’s genocidal wars in Gaza and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The authenticity of the message was confirmed by officials to AFP news agency and by Store to Norwegian newspaper VG.
It remains unclear why President Trump directed this message to the Norwegian government, as the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by the independent Norwegian Nobel Committee, not the political leadership in Oslo.
Mr. Store emphasized that point in his written response. “We have made it clear, including to President Trump, that what is well known is that the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee,” he said.
President Trump has long expressed bitterness over missing out on the annual award.
That obsession resurfaced last week when Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado presented Trump with a Nobel Peace Prize medal during a visit to the White House two weeks after U.S. special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
It is notable that President Trump did not allow live cameras into the meeting, as he often does when meeting with visiting political leaders and dignitaries. However, a photo of him receiving the medal from Machado was released by the White House.
Right-wing Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for his work leading the Venezuelan opposition.
In 2023, she won the presidential primary of Venezuela’s opposition party, putting her in a good position to challenge longtime leader Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.
But Venezuela’s highest court, the Supreme Court of Justice, upheld the ban preventing Machado from running.
The court-backed government said he supported U.S. sanctions, was involved in an arms conspiracy through his party and helped cause losses to Venezuelan assets including U.S.-based oil refiner Citgo and chemical company Monomeros with operations in Colombia.
During his visit to Washington, Machado said he presented the medal to President Trump “in recognition of his unparalleled commitment to our freedoms.”
President Trump later acknowledged Machado for leaving him the medal on social media, writing: “She is an amazing woman who has been through so much. Maria gave me the Nobel Peace Prize for my work.”
Ahead of the visit, the Norwegian Nobel Institute reiterated that once awarded, the Peace Prize cannot be transferred or shared. Under the rules of the Nobel Foundation and Alfred Nobel’s will, the title remains solely with the recipient, even if the physical medal changes hands.
In December, FIFA president Gianni Infantino handed President Trump the first FIFA Peace Prize, further cementing his embrace with the Republican leader and drawing worldwide attention at a lavish award ceremony.
FIFA has long maintained a policy of political neutrality, but questions have been raised.
Mr. Infantino’s glowing praise of Mr. Trump and FIFA’s decision to award the Peace Prize to the American president prompted formal charges of ethics violations and political neutrality days after the soccer association event.
Human rights organization Fair Square said it had filed a complaint with FIFA’s Ethics Committee, alleging that FIFA’s actions were contrary to the common interests of the global football community.
