Trump criticised for 'pathetic' cold-call to Norway for Nobel Peace Prize bid

Donald Trump has been labelled as "pathetic" after allegedly making a "desperate" cold-call in an attempt to secure himself a Nobel Peace Prize.

The US president is reported to have called Norway's Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg "out of the blue" last month to discuss trade tariffs, as well as his bid to win the prestigious award. The finance minister was strolling down a street in Norway's capital when he received the unexpected call from the White House, according to Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv.

This wasn't the first time Trump has mentioned the Nobel Peace Prize during discussions with Stoltenberg, the outlet reports. This comes as Trump dismisses responsibilityfor a failed breakthrough with Putin and says a ceasefire is 'up to Zelensky'.

"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, confirmed to POLITICO.

"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. However, Trump did also speak about the award, a government official in Oslo said, reports The Irish Star.

The 19th-century Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel stipulated that the Nobel Peace Prize should be bestowed upon the individual "who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses".

The identification of suitable nominees and the selection of the Nobel Peace Prize recipients is undertaken by The Norwegian Nobel Committee, comprising five members chosen by the Storting (Norwegian parliament).

Whilst the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and the prize in economic sciences are presented in Stockholm, Sweden, the Nobel Peace Prize is conferred in Oslo, Norway.

Nobel Prize winners are selected at the start of October.

Throughout his second term, Trump has endeavoured to position himself as a "peacemaker" president.

The president has asserted he has concluded or averted six major conflicts since assuming office in January, including claiming responsibility for defusing tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan earlier this year.

He has already received nominations from numerous nations, including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia, for mediating peace agreements or ceasefires.

His crucial summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday was poised to provide Trump with a pivotal opportunity to further demonstrate his peace-making credentials. Despite his promise to end the war in Ukraine on his first day as president, Trump left the meeting without securing a ceasefire.

In response to reports of Trump's call to Stoltenberg on X, critics labelled the president as "begging" for the Nobel Peace Prize and called him "embarrassing".

One critic commented: "Pathetic. Can he win anything without cheating?" Another remarked: "Never in the history of the Peace Prize, has anyone begged for the prize. We are being ridiculed by the rest of the world.

"Trump's next move will be cold-calling the Pope to lobby for sainthood," another critic jested. If Trump were to win, he would join the ranks of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama as the fifth president to receive the award.

Some suggested that Trump is increasingly envious of his longtime rival Obama's achievement. "It's the only thing Obama has that he does not. It pains him so much," one critic noted.

Others criticised Trump for requesting a Nobel Peace Prize from Norwegian officials while simultaneously threatening tariffs on the country. Last month, Trump announced a 15% tariff on Norwegian imports.

"How embarrassing it must be for Americans to see their President begging or blackmailing countries for Nobel Peace Prize," one critic wrote. Another echoed: "If this is true, it's peak Trump: demanding a Nobel like it's room service, then threatening tariffs if they say no. Classic strongman diplomacy. Source or satire? Either way, hilarious."

During a February meeting withIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump grumbled: "They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize."

He further lamented: "It's too bad. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me."

In a press briefing last month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also asserted that it's "well past time" that Trump is awarded the prize.