The Briefing
- A Norwegian artist publicly declined Trump’s immigration offer, citing the U.S. “benefits package” as a massive downgrade.
- He contrasted Norway’s 12 months of paid parental leave and universal healthcare with the lack of federal mandates in the U.S.
- The White House dismissed the criticism, stating that those who “fail to contribute” or “hate America” should stay away.
A Norwegian artist has become an unlikely viral sensation after publicly rejecting the U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent request for more immigrants from Nordic countries, calling a potential move to the United States a “massive downgrade.”
The controversy began on December 9 during a rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. In his address, President Trump questioned why the U.S. attracts immigrants from what he termed “s***hole countries” rather than nations like Norway, Sweden, or Denmark. “Send us some nice people,” the President remarked.
Chris Lund, a 43-year-old vocalist from Norway, responded on December 12 via a Threads post that has since garnered over 83,000 likes. Lund treated the President’s comments as a formal job offer—and declined it based on the “benefits package.”
“Moving to the U.S. right now feels like leaving a spa to go work in a burning hot dog stand,” Lund wrote. “Thanks, but we will stay in the snow.”
“The Offer is a Joke”
Lund told Newsweek that his post was inspired by the irony of American exceptionalism when viewed from a Scandinavian perspective. “I just did the math,” Lund said. “When you compare five weeks of vacation and a year of maternity leave to the American system, the offer is a joke.”
In his post, Lund dismantled the American “offer” point by point:
“Trump said he wants more immigrants from Norway. I have reviewed the offer, and I have to decline.
“The benefits package is terrible. You offer two weeks of vacation if we are lucky; we get five. Your maternity leave is ‘good luck,’ while we get a year. Your healthcare plan is GoFundMe, while ours is free. And your safety plan is just ‘thoughts and prayers.’
Lund, who has previously visited the U.S. and considered moving there, noted that the political instability and lack of a social safety net have turned the “American Dream” into a “cautionary tale” for many Northern Europeans.
Lund’s viral critique resonates deeply with international residents in Finland and the wider Nordic region because it reflects verifiable economic differences.
For instance, Norwegian parents are entitled to 49 weeks of leave at 100% pay or 59 weeks at 80% pay. In contrast, the United States is one of the only developed nations with no federal mandate for paid maternity leave.
All Norwegian employees are guaranteed 25 days of paid holiday annually. In the U.S., paid vacation is at the discretion of the employer, with the average worker receiving only about 10 days after a year of service.
In the World Happiness Report, Nordic countries like Finland and Norway consistently rank in the top spots, while the United States dropped out of the top 20 in 2024, driven by dissatisfaction among younger generations.
The White House did not take the rejection lightly. In a statement to Newsweek, spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the President’s stance: “President Trump is right. America is the greatest country in the world. Aliens who… complain about how much they hate America… and refuse to assimilate into our society should not be here.”
Despite the backlash from some American commentators who accused Lund of being “obsessed” with the U.S., the Norwegian remains unmoved. He noted that if Nordic people actually did immigrate, they would likely vote against Trump’s policies.
“We most certainly wouldn’t be voting for him,” Lund said. “We’d be voting for the very things he calls ‘socialism.'”
