President Donald Trump called Norway's finance minister Jens Stoltenberg last month to discuss trade tariffs, POLITICO reported, citing Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv and called it a "cold call" to ask about his bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Several countries, including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia, have already nominated Trump for brokering peace as Trump claimed he facilitated peace between many countries since his inauguration in January. Trump also hosted Armenia and Azerbaijan as the two countries ended their hostilities.
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) in March said he would nominate Trump for the award, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) nominated him in June, citing his role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel.
Trump's August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is another step towards his attempts to broker peace. While critics are questioning why Putin is being welcomed to Alaska, Trump is hopeful to coerce Putin into an agreement to stop the Ukraine war, as he emphasized that he would understand in the first few minutes of the negotiation talk where it's headed.
Trump said a second meeting may follow, where the peace deal could be worked out after the stage is set at the Alaska summit.
“It is true that President Trump called me a few days before his conversation with Prime Minister Støre. Several of the president’s staff members also participated in the conversation, including Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Greer,” Stoltenberg, the former NATO secretary-general, told POLITICO in a comment.
“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,” he added.
The MAGA has been aiming for a Nobel for Trump and if he gets, he would become the 5th US president to receive the prize, following Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Trump’s longtime rival Barack Obama.
Trump laid his heart bare on how much he wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize but he believed that they won't give it to him. “It’s too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me," he said.
The award is given annually in December by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to someone who has worked to establish peace between nations.
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