WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado called him and said she accepted the prize in his honor, after the White House said earlier in the day that the Nobel Committee had chosen “politics over peace.”
The White House had criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision to grant the peace prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader instead of Trump, who aggressively lobbied for the award and touted his role in brokering international ceasefire deals.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Machado had been selected for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts to promote democracy and freedom in Venezuela.
During a White House press conference, when asked about the award, Trump said:
“The person who won the Nobel Peace Prize called me and said, ‘I’m dedicating this to you — you were the one who truly deserved it.’”
Trump has often asserted that his administration’s diplomatic achievements, particularly in the Middle East, made him more deserving of the prestigious peace award.
US President Donald Trump said he respects the Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, adding that he never sought the award for himself.
“I respect the committee’s decision. I never said the Nobel Prize should be given to me,” Trump told reporters. “But I’m proud that during my tenure, I helped prevent eight potential wars — including between Pakistan and India — and saved billions of lives.”
Meanwhile, Maria Corina Machado said she was dedicating the award to the people of Venezuela who have endured years of suffering, as well as to President Trump for his “decisive support” of their cause for democracy and freedom.