Fact Check: Is the viral image of Trump's text to Norwegian PM graded in red ink real?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following President Donald Trump’s message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in January, expressing disappointment at not receiving a Nobel Prize, an image began circulating on social media claiming to show Trump's message being graded with red ink and marked for grammatical errors. The claim sparked speculation online, prompting a fact-check.
The viral image appeared to show Trump's message being reviewed like a school assignment, with teacher-style corrections and a low grade. But did the Norwegian PM really return Trump's message with red-ink edits? Let's fact-check the claim and examine what is known about the image.
Claim: Norwegian PM returned Donald Trump's message with red ink grading
The rumor surfaced on X, claiming to show an official letter written by President Donald Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store earlier this year, complaining about not getting a Nobel Peace Prize, with teacher-style grammar fixes and a low grade in red ink pointing out errors and tone.
“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote in the letter.
He further added that he sought “Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
The image was shared by several accounts on X, garnering millions of views, with many appearing to believe it was an authentic response by the Norwegian PM.
Fact Check: The red-ink correction was a satirical meme
Although Trump did write a text complaining about not getting a Nobel Prize, which was confirmed by the PM, the red-inked correction shown in the viral image was fabricated, as Store gave no such response to the president.
It is also unlikely for a nation's leader to add teacher-style grammar fixes and a low grade on an official letter.
If the claim were true, prominent news media outlets would likely have covered it widely, but a search on Google for the claim yielded no credible reports confirming the alleged response.
Moreover, the community note under the X post pointed out that the claim was intended as a satirical meme, made for the sake of engagement.
Donald Trump revives Nobel Prize grievance
The claim surfaced as Trump, on Friday, August 4, revived his Nobel Prize grievance in the Oval Office, saying his role in ending eight wars remains unrecognized while recalling a gesture from the prize's recipient.
He also highlighted that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who received the award, told him nobody in Nobel's history deserved it more than him.
“Although the person that got it was nice enough that she gave it to me,” he said, adding that she told him, “Nobody in the history of the Nobel Prize deserves it more than you.”
