The Nobel Peace Prize has now officially been handed out to Maria Corina Machado. But before the announcement, Donald Trump was very vocal about how badly he wanted the prize for himself and had reportedly been pressuring Norwegian politicians to make it happen behind the scenes. And now, they’re apparently ready for any retaliation in. The Nobel Prizes are actually handed out in a very complex way. Alfred Nobel left a sizable donation to the Norwegian government to ensure that he would always be remembered for encouraging arts, science, and peace throughout the world. The Norwegian government then uses his will as a sort of map to pick an independent panel that goes on to choose the prize winners. Trump had been, for months now, touting his war-ending capabilities as the reason why he should be considered for the award this time around. And that despite it taking a lot of legwork to get past the line, Trump was finally able to get a ceasefire. That last-minute act has made his administration and allies quite aggressive in campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Guardian reported that experts never thought of it as likely Trump would get it over the line anyway. This had caused some concern among top leadership in Norway earlier. Reportedly, Trump was even cold calling to Norway’s finance minister to ask if she can ensure he gets the award, despite the Nobel Committee being independent. Norwegian journalist Harald Stanghelle speculated that the reason Trump approached the finance minister first was because he could have been planning to retaliate against a Nobel Prize loss with tariffs. The journalist also said that another way Trump could respond is by demanding that Norway pay more to NATO or simply declaring the country an enemy. Politicians like Kirsti Bergstø were already sounding full alertness in the country, stating, “The Nobel Committee is an independent body, and the Norwegian government has no involvement in determining the prizes. But I’m not sure Trump knows that. We have to be prepared for anything from him.” Still, the question remains whether Trump deserved winning the Nobel Peace Prize in the first place. That depends on how much reverence you hold for the organization. It’s a bipartisan belief that the committee doesn’t always get it right. You’ll find just as many people on the left who vehemently believe that Henry Kissinger shouldn’t have been honored by the committee as you would on the right who feel the same way about Barack Obama. What truly matters here is that Trump only believed he could win because he thought he could pressure the committee to do his bidding. That’s why he kept mentioning how Obama won one “for nothing.” Trump himself didn’t believe his merit alone could win him the award he craves so much. So he tried to do it via threats and by discrediting others. This has always been how he campaigns. Trump has not yet responded to the announcement. But that silence likely won’t last long — he’ll almost certainly address it in a lengthy post on Truth Social any minute now.