President Donald Trump welcomed leaders from around the world on Thursday as he hosted the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, D.C.
One country that would not be joining the board, but will be hosting a related event is Norway.
The U.S. president announced the plan for Norway to host a meeting on Palestinian aid during the inaugural meeting of the board on Thursday. However, as he announced Norway’s plans, he joked about getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
‘I’m excited to announce that Norway has agreed to host an event bringing together the Board of Peace — Oh, I thought when I saw this note, ‘I’m excited to announce that Norway,’ I thought they were going to say that they’re giving me the Nobel Prize. Oh, this is less exciting,’ Trump quipped. ‘Oh, it says, ‘I’m excited to announce that Norway,’ and I’m saying, ‘Oh, great, I’m getting the Nobel Prize. Finally, finally, they got it right.’ But I don’t care, I don’t care about the Nobel Prize. I care about saving lives.’
Trump received several nominations for the prize. However, they were declared past the Nobel Committee’s nomination deadline. In the end, the award was given to then-exiled Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Following the capture of Venezuela’s dictatorial leader Nicolás Maduro, Machado came to the U.S., where she met with Trump and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize.
‘I presented the President of the United States the medal… the Nobel Peace Prize, and I told him, ‘Listen to this, 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal with George Washington’s face on it,’ Machado said while speaking at the U.S. Capitol in January. ‘He kept that medal for the rest of his life. Actually, when you see his portraits, you can see the medal.’
She said Lafayette gave the medal to Bolívar as a symbol of the partnership between the people of the U.S. and the people of Venezuela and their shared fight for freedom against tyranny.
Trump thanked Machado for the medal in a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening.
‘It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,’ Trump wrote. ‘She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!’
Norway has said that it would not join the Board of Peace. However, it is set to convene its Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee (AHCL) for Palestinian aid, according to The Times of Israel. The outlet noted that Norway has led the AHCL for decades, as it was established in the wake of the Oslo Accords, which were also aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas conflict.
A spokesperson for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry told The Times of Israel that Norway ‘remains firm’ in its position against joining the Board of Peace.