Norwegians have responded with dismissal, amusement and contempt in recent days to the latest insults from U.S. President Donald Trump, who described their country as a "shithouse country" during a campaign rally Sunday night, apparently angered that he had once again failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump made the remarks at a campaign rally in Michigan ahead of next week's U.S. midterm elections, where he also declared that immigrants from Norway were not welcome in the United States. Bluntly stating that "Norway sucks," he said he would welcome immigrants from certain countries, but not Norway, because he had not received the coveted prize awarded by the independent Nobel Committee based in Oslo.
Trump at rally: "Not in love with Norway, it has become a shithouse country
"I'm not in love with Norway," Trump said. "As a matter of fact, Norway sucks. Norway has actually become a shithouse country." Trump has previously used similar language to describe countries such as Haiti, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. Earlier this month, he said the failure to award him the Nobel Peace Prize was an "indelible stain" on Norway.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide responded diplomatically to the latest remarks, telling Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that Trump knows perfectly well that the Nobel Committee is independent and does not accept directives, instructions or recommendations from the Norwegian government.
Other Norwegians seized the opportunity to poke fun at the U.S. president. Visit Norway, the country's official tourism organization, published a mocking social media post that read: "We've heard some chatter about a 'shithouse country.' Well, what can we say, we do have some of the world's most spectacular toilets. Love, Visit Norway." The post included a link to a feature on its website showcasing what it calls some of the "world's most beautiful toilets," scattered across the Scandinavian country's breathtaking landscapes.
The website features photographs of remarkable public restrooms at Norwegian tourist destinations, explaining that "the toilets along the Norwegian Scenic Routes are architectural masterpieces." It describes Norway's impressive collection of restrooms as examples of how something as ordinary and mundane as a toilet can become a tourist attraction. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration, which is responsible for developing the country's scenic routes and their facilities, still has a few tricks up its sleeve, the website adds.
In a response column published in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet under the headline "Straight into the toilet," the writer declared: "Yes, Donald, we are a 'shit house country.' Norway is, after all, the home of the outhouse." The columnist explained that Norwegians are among the last people likely to take offense at being associated with outdoor toilets, which many connect to the country's traditions and its cabin culture, where such facilities were once commonplace.
From the photos shared by the Norwegian Tourist Board. 'Even something as routine and boring as a toilet can become a tourist attraction'
"Trump has complained about the Nobel Peace Prize so many times that it almost seems like an obsession," the columnist wrote. "No matter how many times both the prime minister and the Norwegian Foreign Ministry explain that the government has absolutely nothing to do with awarding the prize, he continues to blame them."
The writer added: "An overwhelming majority of American voters agree with the Nobel Committee: Trump certainly does not deserve any peace prize. Quite the opposite. The war in Iran is a major source of criticism of Trump, including among his own supporters, second only to the cost of living and the period of inflation and soaring prices. He promised to end the endless wars, particularly in the Middle East. Instead, he joined Benjamin Netanyahu in a war he cannot find a way out of."
'A masterpiece of architectural creation'. Toilets across Norway
Trump's remarks about Norway also drew criticism in the United States. Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders, a leading figure on the American progressive left, wrote on X: "Norway is one of the most democratic and prosperous countries on Earth. Free health care. Free college Strong democracy. Free press. Trump says 'Norway sucks' and is a 'shit house country' because it won’t give him the Nobel Prize. Insane. We have a mentally unbalanced president."
Sanders' praise for the Nordic country was hardly exaggerated. Norway, with a population of just 5.6 million, is among the wealthiest and most developed countries in the world. Its sovereign wealth fund, known as the Government Pension Fund Global or the Oil Fund, was established in the 1990s using revenues from oil and gas production and is the largest of its kind in the world.
US Sen. Bernie Sanders: 'Trump says Norway sucks and is a shit house country because it won’t give him the Nobel Prize. Insane.'
(Photo: Kayla Bartkowski / Getty Images North America / AFP)
The fund is worth approximately $2.3 trillion and holds an average stake of about 1.5% in all publicly listed companies worldwide. On the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, education and income, Norway ranks second globally alongside Switzerland, behind Iceland. Its gross national income per capita is also among the highest in the world. This year marked the 10th consecutive year that Norway topped Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index.
Trump has argued since his first term in office that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, and his demands intensified last year after he claimed to have secured eight peace agreements. In practice, these were not comprehensive peace treaties but primarily ceasefires or conflicts that broke out, some with his backing, and ended relatively quickly when he sought their conclusion.
Trump at a rally in Michigan earlier this week; He compared El-Sayed to the 9/11 terrorists
(Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to Navi Pillay, a former judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague from South Africa and an outspoken critic of Israel who also authored a report accusing the country of genocide.
The Michigan rally where Trump made his remarks about Norway was the same contentious event at which he compared Muslim Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to the terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001, attacks. Trump also made crude remarks about the backsides of other politicians within his MAGA movement and about that of his supporter, rapper Nicki Minaj.