ANALYSIS — The parade of foreign leaders into the Oval Office seeking relief from Donald Trump’s tariffs continued Thursday, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre dropping by. But his meetings with the U.S. president gave no indication a revised trade arrangement is imminent.
Støre’s visit came just over two weeks after Trump paused and lowered reciprocal tariffs on more than 75 countries after previously slapping them with higher-than-expected duties. Norway was among the longtime U.S. allies swept up in the trade tussle, getting a 15 percent import fee that could be back in place by July following the 90-day pause.
Trump told reporters during a Cabinet Room luncheon that Norwegian officials should “keep doing what they’re doing,” saying the Nordic nation has “always” been an “ally” and a “friend.” But Trump, who has long railed against America’s trade deficits, also said this about Norway’s $2 billion trade surplus with Washington: “We’ve got to get a little bit of that for ourselves.”
