Recommendations of the Editorial team
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday morning. A setback for US President Donald Trump, who had campaigned intensively to receive the award himself.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee justified the honor with “her tireless commitment to the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people and her fight for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
During the ceremony in Oslo, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, praised Machado as a “courageous and committed peace advocate” who “keeps the flame of democracy burning in a time of growing darkness.”
Democracy and courage
“This is the core of democracy – our shared will to defend the principles of popular rule, even when we disagree,” Frydnes said. “At a time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to protect this common ground.”
Machado has worked tirelessly as a politician in Venezuela for decades and is known for her commitment to free elections. She has been living underground for over a year due to death threats. The committee emphasized: “When authoritarian rulers seize power, it is critical to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who stand up and resist.”
Trump’s reaction and demand
During the announcement, a reporter asked Frydnes about Trump’s claim to the award. Frydnes responded that the committee receives thousands of campaign and nomination letters each year, but the decision is made in a room “filled with courage and integrity.” Decisions are made based on the “work and will of Alfred Nobel”.
Trump has long expressed his belief that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Although he uses the military against his own citizens and brutalizes migrants, he presents himself as a peacemaker – especially since the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. On Thursday, he said at the White House that he had “concluded seven agreements, and now it’s the eighth.” He also claimed that he had “stopped seven wars” – a claim that is unsubstantiated.
Support and criticism
At the U.N. General Assembly last month, Trump said “everyone” thought he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Numerous supporters publicly called for the president to be honored. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office wrote on X: “Give [Trump] the Nobel Peace Prize – he deserves it!” The official White House X account featured a photo of Trump with the caption “THE PEACE PRESIDENT.”
The Trump administration has increased attacks on Venezuelan citizens in recent months. The president spread misinformation to justify military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean near Venezuela. After the destruction of one of these boats, Trump incorrectly wrote on Truth Social: “A boat loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 TO 50 THOUSAND PEOPLE was stopped early this morning off the coast of Venezuela before it could reach American territory.”
Trump has not yet responded to the Nobel Committee’s decision. Five hours before the ceremony, he shared several posts on Truth Social praising himself as a worthy recipient.