Nobel Peace Prize Institute Claps Back at Trump’s Medal Meltdown

Norwegian Nobel Institute pushed back this week after weeks of public fuss over why President Donald Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize. The institute said it will try to be more open about how the prize is chosen.

The institute director, Kristian Berg Harpviken, told The Atlantic, “The strategy for clearing the air is simply to talk about it.” He said the move is meant to help people see how the work is done.

Harpviken added, “We see it as important that as many people as possible understand how it is that we work and what the principles are.” He made clear the institute will not bow to pressure from any side.

He was blunt about attempts to sway the committee. “we haven’t had the embassy or officials knocking on our doors,” he said. “Nothing like that.” He also warned that active self promotion will not help a candidate. “A candidate who is aggressively campaigning for him or herself will neither be penalized nor privileged. We are very conscious about that.”

The White House pushed back. Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, wrote in an email, “President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize many times over.” That line landed in reporters inboxes and in the larger public row.

The dispute got stranger in January when María Corina Machado, the person who actually won the prize for 2025, handed her medal to the president during a White House visit. She later said, “It was a very emotional moment. I decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal on behalf of the people of Venezuela.” Reporters and the Nobel body alike noted the gift is symbolic and does not change who the laureate is.

The institute issued a crisp reminder that the medal and the diploma are physical objects and do not change who the laureate is. Officials stressed that the honour and recognition remain tied to the person or group chosen by the committee. The legal rule is simple and final.

Still, the public drama continued. The episode included an odd gift from a global soccer group and a stream of messages from the president. FIFA gave the man who wanted the prize its own invented peace award in December, apparently hoping to score a photo op. That only added to the noise.

Matters turned tense when the president sent a message to Jonas Gahr Støre saying, “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.” The message prompted concern in Oslo and new reminders that the prize is chosen by an independent body.

Støre himself said he had told Mr. Trump many times that the government does not pick the winner. “I reminded him every time that it’s not my decision; it’s not the government’s decision. This is an independent committee. It is staunchly independent,” Støre said. His line was meant to close the loop on any idea that Oslo can order the Nobel Committee around.

At the end of the day the committee and the institute are trying to hold the line on a basic point. The prize sits with the person the committee named. Objects can move from hand to hand, but the honour does not. The public can debate the choice, and the director says more talking may be the best way to calm the fuss.

Featured image via The Daily Glitch library