OSLO (Reuters) -When U.S. President Donald Trump called Norway’s finance minister last month to discuss trade tariffs, he also asked about the Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv reported on Thursday.
Several countries including Israel, Pakistan and Cambodia have nominated Trump for brokering peace agreements or ceasefires, and he has said he deserves the Norwegian-bestowed accolade that four White House predecessors received.
“Out of the blue, while Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called,” Dagens Naeringsliv reported, citing unnamed sources.
“He wanted the Nobel Prize – and to discuss tariffs.”
The White House, Norway’s finance ministry and the Norwegian Nobel Committee did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
With hundreds of candidates nominated each year, laureates are chosen by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, whose five members are appointed by Norway’s parliament according to the will of Swedish 19th century industrialist Alfred Nobel.
The announcement comes in October in Oslo.
The Norwegian newspaper said it was not the first time Trump had brought up the prize in conversation with Stoltenberg, a former secretary general of the NATO military alliance.
It quoted Stoltenberg as saying the call was to discuss trade tariffs and economic cooperation ahead of Trump’s call with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Stoere.
Asked if Trump made the Nobel prize an issue, Stoltenberg said: “I will not go further into the content of the conversation.”
Several White House officials, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were on the call, Stoltenberg said.
The White House on July 31 announced a 15% tariff on imports from Norway, the same as the European Union.
Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Norway and the United States were still in talks regarding the tariffs.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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