Despite high-profile nominations, US President Donald Trump's quest for the Nobel Peace Prize fell short today. The Nobel Prize committee's decision met with criticism from the White House, which said that the decision proved "they place politics over peace". However, the person who won it this year, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, has praised Trump multiple times in the past for his stand on her country.
Machado, who has called on the international community to pressure Venezuela to move toward democracy, praised Trump during an interview this year, thanked Trump and his administration for "unwavering support" to the cause of establishing democracy in Venezuela. When Trump won the presidential race last year, she was among the several world leaders to congratulate him, saying, "We have always counted on you".
"I have to say that I'm very grateful to the administration and to President Trump for his position on Venezuela. It has been unwavering support," Machado said.
"I also have to acknowledge members of Congress - senators, congressmen, and congresswomen - who understand that the regime in Venezuela represents an ongoing threat, one that is already destabilising the region and endangering both hemispheric and US national security. We are very grateful to President Trump for the decisions he has made in this regard," she said in the May interview.
Read | Maria Corina Machado Awarded Nobel Peace Prize 2025
Machado, the former opposition presidential candidate, is seen as a "key, unifying figure" in the once deeply divided opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government, said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee.
She won a resounding victory in the opposition's primary election in 2023, and her rallies attracted large crowds, but a ban on holding public office prevented her from running for president against Maduro in an election in 2024, and she went into hiding.
Maduro won the election amid charges of vote fraud.
When Trump Backed Machado
In January, Machado emerged from hiding to make a brief appearance during a protest before Maduro's inauguration. She was briefly detained and then freed.
Her brief detention led to a social media post from Trump, who issued a stern warning to Maduro. "These freedom fighters should not be harmed and must stay safe and alive," he posted on Truth Social.
She later thanked him and said his "unwavering support for Venezuela's fight for democracy is deeply valued".
"Your timely and decisive concern for my safety was a turning point... Thank you. We both know that freedom will prevail," she posted on X.
President Trump,
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) January 11, 2025
Your unwavering support for Venezuela's fight for democracy is deeply valued.
With extraordinary courage, the Venezuelan people have consistently defied fear and brutal repression, standing united to reject a criminal regime desperate to cling to power and… https://t.co/7EVCvHiQ2v
In November last year, when Trump won the US Presidential race, Machado congratulated Trump and said that she knew Venezuela could count on him.
"We know that we can count on the support of the peoples of the Americas and their democratic governments to ensure a swift transition to democracy. And we also know that we have always counted on you," she wrote in an Instagram post.
Last year, Machado and her ally Edmundo Gonzalez were awarded the European Union's top human rights honour, the Sakharov Prize.
With the honour today, Machado has become the 20th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, out of the 112 individuals who have been honoured.
White House's Criticism
Hours after the Nobel Peace Prize was announced, the White House said the committee's decision proved "they place politics over peace".
"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," White House spokesman Steven Cheung said in a post on X.
There had been persistent speculation ahead of the announcement about the possibility of the prize going to Trump, fueled in part by the president himself and amplified by this week's approval of his plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Watne Frydnes said: "I think this committee has seen any type of campaign, media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what leads them to peace.
"This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel."
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