The Norwegian Nobel Institute has responded to widespread outrage over President Donald Trump’s rejection of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Director Kristian Berg Harpviken told The Atlantic in an interview Sunday that the institute hopes to increase transparency around the selection process in an effort to defend against accusations of bias made by Trump and his supporters.
“The strategy to clear the air is to talk about it,” Harpviken said. While declining to mention Trump by name, referring to him only as “the candidate in question,” he explained the strategy was aimed at public understanding of the organization’s work.
“We see it as important that as many people as possible understand how we work and what the principles are,” Harpviken told The Atlantic. “Whether or not those lobbying for the award accept it is really beyond our control.”
Harpviken added that “we haven’t had embassies or officials knocking on our door” when it comes to trying to influence the committee. “Nothing like that.” He said that he will not be affected under any circumstances. “A candidate who is aggressively campaigning for himself or herself will neither be penalized nor privileged. We are very aware of that.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. “President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize many times over,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an email to The Atlantic.
Trump spent much of 2025 basking in the honor, going as far as cold-calling Norwegian diplomats and publishing screeds on Truth Social, despite all of his accomplishments not receiving the award.
His fixation eventually led FIFA to award its own invented peace prize in December, in an attempt to defuse favoritism ahead of this year’s World Cup. He finally managed to capture the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in January to the de facto winner, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented Donald Trump with his Nobel Peace Prize. / White House
It was Machado’s idea that the Nobel Institute tried to shut down the exchange by publishing a reminder that Nobel Prizes cannot be shared or transferred.
Asked by Fox News why she handed over her award, Machado said Trump deserved it, adding, “It was a very emotional moment. I decided to give the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the people of Venezuela.”
The institute responded to the awkward exchange with a reminder that keeping the medal and diploma did not make Trump a Nobel laureate.
“Medals and diplomas are physical symbols confirming that an individual or organization has received the Nobel Peace Prize,” the committee said in a statement released the day after Machado’s visit to the White House. “The prize itself – the honor and the recognition – is inextricably linked to the person or organization designated as the laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.”
FIFA invented its own peace prize and awarded it in an attempt to curry favor with Trump ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held across North America. / Andrew Hornick / Getty Images
Ultimately, receiving material rewards failed to appease Trump, who a few days later issued a shocking threat to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storey.
“Considering that your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 wars PLUS, I no longer feel compelled to think purely about peace,” the 79-year-old wrote in a message to his Norwegian counterpart.
Storey reminded the president that the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the peace prize, is an independent body, something he reiterated in an interview with The Atlantic.
“I reminded him every time that it’s not my decision; it’s not the government’s decision. It’s an independent committee. It’s completely independent,” Storey said.
“Some of my diplomats say, you know, ‘If the prime minister tries to interfere with the Nobel committee, he should resign, because that would be unacceptable.’
