A Norwegian editor has sparked controversy with a recent post on social media regarding former U.S. President Donald Trump, following heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Danby Choi, editor of the Norwegian publication Subjekt, initially faced criticism in 2024 for calling Trump “cool” during a radio interview shortly before the presidential election.
Now, after recent U.S. And Israeli strikes in Iran, Choi has doubled down on his assessment:
“Taking back that Trump is cool. He is the coolest in the world,” Choi wrote on Facebook.
The post, published Sunday, had garnered over 1,400 likes as of Monday evening, but has also drawn significant backlash.
WORLD’S COOLEST: Danby Choi writes on Facebook that Donald Trump is the world’s coolest. Photo: Screenshot Facebook
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– So pathetic
Among those reacting is press expert Trygve Aas Olsen, an instructor at the Norwegian Journalism Institute.
“This represents so pathetic, Danby. There is a war going on, and people are dying in it – like the 85 who, according to reports from Iran, lost their lives when a girls’ school was bombed,” the veteran journalist wrote on Choi’s Facebook page.
Olsen stressed that war is not cool.
“Parents are losing their children, children are losing their parents, and all you can think about is how to leverage this to obtain some attention for yourself. War is not cool, Danby. You could lie in a trench yourself if you’re unsure about that,” he wrote.
NOT COOL: Journalism instructor Trygve Aas Olsen reacts to Choi’s comment.
Choi responded to the criticism with the following statement:
“I agree. They should have missed less. And Iran should stop aiming at what appears to be completely random targets. But with each day that Ayatollah Khamenei is neutralized, we save the Iranian people from tens, hundreds, and often thousands of lives.”
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– Each to their own
TV personality Morten Hegseth, who appears in the new season of “Boksen” on TV 2, also strongly criticized Choi.
“I won’t go into a deep analysis of Iran’s fall. And I sometimes sense you always have to be contrary. But it’s shocking that you say ‘he’s the coolest in the world’ about a guy who tears down Pride flags, terrorizes everything that doesn’t have white skin and blue eyes, cuts funding for HIV and AIDS medicine worldwide, kicks transgender people out of the military, and generally is a monster in most things he does. Each to their own, Danby,” Hegseth wrote.
REACTING: Morten Hegseth, who is featured in the new season of “Boksen,” reacts to Choi’s statement. Photo: Matti Bernitz (TV 2)
Another critic of the Trump endorsement is former terrorism researcher Lars Gule.
“When you demonstrate so little knowledge of Donald Trump and Iran as Danby Choi does, you have to wonder what else he doesn’t grasp. There is a risk that This proves much, very much,” Gule wrote on Facebook.
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IN COURT: A large press corps met Danby Choi outside the Oslo District Court after he testified in the case against Marius Borg Bøiby last week. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten
Choi offered the following comment to Nettavisen:
“My sympathy is with the Iranian people. The clerical regime in Iran has killed tens of thousands of protesters fighting for women’s freedom in the past year alone. Ayatollah Khamenei has been the biggest sponsor of the worst terrorist organizations the world has seen.”
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Fired off
Choi also fired back at claims made last week by iNyheter, alleging that former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland attempted to take his own life. A claim later refuted the same day by his lawyer, Anders Brosveet of Elden Advokatfirma.
“I wish iNyheter could come up with something better than this. It’s a press ethical disaster,” Choi told Nettavisen.
iNyheter editor Helge Lurås responded to the criticism.
“I don’t quite know where to start, because the criticism is completely meaningless. It’s not based on facts, and Danby Choi couldn’t possibly have read the articles we’ve written,” Lurås said.
