Visit Norway has circulated a campaign highlighting unusual and picturesque lavatories under the slogan “Norway makes shithouses great again”, turning the president’s remarks into an opportunity to advertise the country’s landscapes. The response followed Trump’s speech at a political rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on 25 October.
Trump said he did not want immigrants from Norway entering the United States because he had been denied the Nobel Peace Prize. He also criticised the country in unusually explicit language, telling supporters: “Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shithouse country, actually.”
The remarks came as Trump campaigned ahead of the 3 November congressional midterm elections. No change to American immigration rules concerning Norwegian nationals has been announced, making his statement a political declaration rather than an established government restriction.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide rejected the implication that his government controlled the Nobel decision. He said Trump understood that the Norwegian Nobel Committee operated independently and that Norwegian officials had reminded him of that distinction.
The five-member committee is appointed by Norway’s parliament but makes its own decisions on the Peace Prize. Neither the Norwegian government nor its foreign ministry selects the recipient. That separation has become central to Oslo’s response to Trump’s repeated criticism of the award.
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief Navi Pillay for her work advancing international law and human rights. Trump has argued that his diplomatic interventions deserved recognition instead, claiming credit for ending eight wars. Those claims have been disputed or qualified in accounts of several conflicts.
During the Michigan speech, Trump contrasted Norway with Denmark, saying he would welcome immigrants from the latter country. He linked his objections to Norway directly to the prize decision, declaring: “So I don’t want anybody from Norway.”
Trump also invoked unrest in France while discussing immigration. His remarks combined criticism of European migration policies with a personal complaint about the Nobel committee, although he offered no evidence that Norwegian immigrants posed any particular problem for the United States.
Norway’s tourism promotion took a markedly different approach. Rather than issuing a comparable insult, Visit Norway showcased facilities built at scenic locations, including a toilet overlooking Aurlandsfjord near the Stegastein viewpoint and another known as the Golden Toilet on Senja island.
The promotional material had originally been prepared around World Toilet Day, but the agency adapted it after the president’s comments. Its publicity attracted attention beyond the usual audience for tourism advertising, providing a humorous response without a formal diplomatic confrontation.
The campaign’s emphasis on architecture and landscape also reflected Norway’s established practice of incorporating distinctive public facilities into tourist routes. Several featured toilets are located along scenic roads and viewpoints, where their design has attracted attention independently of the surrounding natural attractions. The agency’s response focused on those existing installations rather than commissioning new facilities.
The dispute has revived questions about Trump’s treatment of a longstanding American ally. Norway is a member of NATO, and its government maintains substantial defence and security cooperation with Washington. Neither side has announced a change to those arrangements as a result of the comments.
Trump had already criticised the 2026 prize decision earlier in October, describing his exclusion as an “indelible stain” on Norway. He has repeatedly cited his efforts to mediate international disputes as justification for receiving the honour.
His language also recalled comments during his first presidential term, when he used derogatory descriptions of Haiti and African countries while discussing immigration. Those statements attracted criticism from political leaders and civil rights organisations.
Norway remains among the world’s wealthiest economies by output per person, according to International Monetary Fund measurements. Its sovereign wealth fund recorded a profit of 1.75 trillion Norwegian kroner in the first half of 2026, reflecting the scale of the country’s publicly owned financial investments.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee did not immediately issue a detailed public response to Trump’s Michigan remarks. Its independence is established through the Nobel selection process, under which parliamentary appointment of committee members does not confer decision-making authority on the government.
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