Norway turns Trump’s insult into a campaign about extraordinary public toilets

Norway’s scenic public toilets have become the unlikely focus of a response to USA President Donald Trump, after he described the country as a “shithouse country” during a rally on Sunday, 25 October. Visit Norway, the country’s official tourism organisation, has responded by showing off some of Norway’s most spectacular public toilets, many of which are architectural attractions in their own right.

In a social media post, Visit Norway made light of Trump’s remarks by sharing photographs of unusual toilets set among fjords, mountains and coastal landscapes. The organisation also drew attention to its collection of scenic public toilets, encouraging tourists to visit them even when they do not need to use the facilities.

The campaign also borrowed from Trump’s familiar political slogan, Make America Great Again, with a slightly different message, reported by The Irish Times:

Norway makes sh*t houses great again!

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Trump’s remarks about Norway and the Nobel Peace Prize

The exchange began during a campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on 25 October, when Trump criticised Norway over his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

As reported by AFP, the president told supporters:

Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shithouse country, actually.

Trump also said he did not want immigrants from Norway because he had not been awarded the prize. There was no official indication that his remarks represented a change in USA immigration policy.

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on 9 October to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the South African jurist and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, for her work promoting peace and international law.

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Espen Barth Eide, responded to Trump’s criticism by reiterating that the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the winner, operates independently of the country’s government.

Norway’s scenic public toilets are attractions in their own right

The toilets promoted by Visit Norway are not ordinary roadside facilities. Many are part of the Norwegian Scenic Routes (Nasjonale turistveger), a network of 18 designated roads featuring viewpoints, rest areas and architectural projects designed to complement the surrounding landscapes.

Among the examples highlighted by Visit Norway is the public toilet at Stegastein, where large windows offer views of the Aurlandsfjord. On the Helgeland coast, the wave-shaped building at Ureddplassen has attracted international attention for its architecture.

Other examples include the solar-powered toilet at Utsikten, along the Gaularfjellet scenic route, and the facilities at Eggum in Lofoten, built beneath the ruins of a German radar station from the Second World War.

On the island of Senja, visitors can also find the so-called Golden Toilet, a distinctive triangular structure with gold-coloured cladding at Ersfjordstranda.

The facilities are part of a wider programme developed by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen), which has worked with architects and landscape designers to turn roadside stops into attractions that combine functionality, design and nature.

Visit Norway had already been promoting these unusual bathrooms long before Trump’s comments. The latest campaign has simply given them a new and unexpected reason to attract international attention.