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.” Confidence in Trump’s handling of economic issues — a cornerstone of his 2024 campaign for president — has fallen, recent polls have shown. An April 16-21 Reuters-Ipsos survey found that 51 percent of respondents disapproved of his performance on the economy, with 37 percent approving. Both scores were 2 points worse for Trump than from an earlier March version of the poll. Here are three takeaways from Trump's meetings with Støre and other tariff-related developments. ‘Lead ally’ Like other world leaders have done, Støre kicked off the meetings over lunch and then in the Oval Office by praising Trump. “I salute President Trump for ... taking very important initiatives to get this conflict towards an end, which both parties deserve,” he said when asked if Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize nomination over his efforts to end the war in Ukraine and other actions. Støre and his government have opted not to retaliate against Trump’s reciprocal import fees, a fact that likely helped get him the Thursday invitation to the executive mansion. The Norwegian prime minister used a Trumpian tack Thursday when he rejected the premise of a reporter’s query about whether the tariffs called into question whether the two countries were still allies. "That is a very strange question, actually, because the U.S. is our lead ally, and we build on the relationship, which we will talk about now, Mr. President, it's of high relevance. And I'm very happy that we have the secretary of State and the secretary of Defense here, so this is a strong tie,” he said, referring to Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, respectively. Trump referred to the Norwegian delegation as “good business people” who know how to negotiate, something that could put his “art of the deal” expertise to the test. “I think we will have no problem … whatsoever with Norway,” the president said, without including a timeline for an agreement. Trump also said he would meet with multiple world leaders while in Italy this weekend for the funeral of Pope Francis. "We [will] have many of them there, and they all want to meet, and they want to meet about trade," he told reporters in the Oval Office without specifying which leaders would get face time. Trump is slated to depart for Rome on Friday morning. ‘Shoot-from-the-hip tariffs’ Meanwhile, Democrats have used the ongoing congressional recess to continue hammering Trump over his tariffs and the economic uncertainty that has rocked the stock markets. Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who on Tuesday became the latest Democrat to enter the state's open Senate race, used the import duties in a fundraising email. “People are rightly concerned about rising costs, shoot-from-the-hip tariffs, and attacks on our personal freedoms. Michiganders need a fighter in their corner – and that’s who I’ve been my entire life,” she wrote, kicking off her bid to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The campaign of Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., also tried to use the tariffs to build its campaign coffers. “Trump’s tariffs aren’t even on the books right now. But once they are? Experts say the price hikes we’re already seeing will look like child’s play,” Swalwell's campaign said in a fundraising email. “Trump promised he’d help ‘working Americans,’ but his policies are helping exactly no one who actually punches a clock or budgets for a family.” Trump administration officials have contended this week that 18 countries have submitted formal trade proposals that could lower the tariff rates the U.S. slapped on them earlier this month. The officials have declined, however, to name specific countries. That figure would leave around 70 countries that have not submitted proposals. ‘Much different attitude’ Norway has been a top backer of Ukraine in its war against Russia, with which Oslo has long had a rocky relationship. Earlier Thursday, Trump took to social media to blast Russia for a recent military operation in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv that reportedly killed at least 12 people. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” he wrote, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!” Trump told reporters later that he has “my own” deadline for a deal between Moscow and Kyiv that would bring the conflict to a halt. “We want it to be fast,” he said of a ceasefire, crediting Støre with being helpful as negotiations plod on. Trump also issued something of a warning to both sides, saying the U.S. would have a "very much different attitude" after his unspecified deadline. “But I think it has a very good chance of getting done.” he said. For his part, Støre called for a “ceasefire to save lives and move towards something which is more secure for Europe and the people concerned.” “On that we are working together,” he said. “And I look forward to going into some details, because we are at a critical moment.” Later, in the Oval Office, Støre said a peace pact would require “political will and push.” Amid allegations from Democrats of a U.S. alliance with Russia, Trump said in the Oval Office: “I have no allegiance to anybody — I have [an] allegiance to saving lives.” Asked what concessions Russia had offered, Trump replied, “Stopping the war. Stopping taking the whole country — pretty big concession.” Meanwhile, Trump said his push to obtain Greenland was not a topic of discussion on Thursday: “That’s for another day.” Norway briefly occupied the eastern part of the massive island until 1933, when a global court ruled that Denmark had sovereignty over the entire territory.
