Trump blames Norway for Nobel loss. Here's who actually decides
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President Trump meets with U.S. oil and gas executives at the White House on Jan. 9. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Trump blamed Norway for his Nobel Peace Prize snub as it opposes his push to claim Greenland — but the nation doesn't award the honor.
The big picture: Trump's insistence the U.S. should control Greenland has rankled American allies across Europe and NATO, and Trump has vowed further economic and political relation for their resistance.
Driving the news: Over the weekend, Trump said Norway "decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars" in a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, confirmed by PBS News and Støre.
- Norway hasn't supported Trump's push to claim Greenland as part of the U.S. In fact, Norway "fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter," Støre said in a statement to Axios.
- Trump spent the last year pushing for the Nobel Peace Prize, which went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
What they're saying: "President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize many times over," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. "His direct involvement in major conflicts, leveraging tools from America's military might to our superior consumer market, has brought peace to decades-long wars around the world."
- "However, as the President has said, he doesn't care about the recognition — only saving lives."
Reality check: Norway's government doesn't pick the Nobel Prize winner.
Who decides the Nobel Peace Prize?
How it works: Nobel Peace Prize laureates are chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee — a five-person panel appointed by the Storting, Norway's Parliament.
- This has been the case since 1901, which Alfred Nobel set out in his will.
- The other Nobel Prizes are decided by Swedish committees.
Zoom in: Members of the committee are selected from a pool of candidates and serve six-year terms. Panelists can be reelected, per the prize's website.
- Active Storting members are not allowed on the committee to avoid any governmental influence.
How is the Nobel Prize winner selected?
Zoom out: The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 winners since 1901 — with 112 individuals and 31 organizations receiving the honor, per the prize website.
- The entire nomination and selection process takes over a year.
Between the lines: Anyone can be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, but the nominators must fit certain criteria.
- Nominators can be members of national assemblies and national governments, previous winners of the prize, former advisers to the committee, and former or current members of the committee.
- See the full criteria on the Nobel's website.
The committee receives nominations from September to January of the year's prize.
- The group then creates a short list of typically 20–30 candidates by February or March, who are then reviewed until August.
- The winners are selected in October by a majority vote of the committee. Typically, the committee seeks unanimity.
- Winners are announced in October and receive their prize in December.
- "The decision is final and without appeal," the Nobel website reads.
Information about Nobel Peace Prize nominations is sealed for 50 years.
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