Machado was awarded the prize on Friday despite a campaign from Trump and his international allies, who said his peacemaking efforts earned him the award. The award put Trump and Machado in an awkward place, as the two are close allies. However, in a statement on X, Machado dedicated her award to Trump, saying he was pivotal in the fight for Venezuelan democracy.
“This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom. We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” Machado said.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” she added.
The White House was noticeably disappointed by the snub but refrained from criticizing Machado.
“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. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said on X.
Trump has painted himself as the peacemaker president, pointing to his decisive role in ending wars between India and Pakistan earlier this year and brokering a preliminary peace agreement between longtime foes Armenia and Azerbaijan.
His chances appeared better than ever this week after he won near-universal praise for his role in brokering a peace deal to end the Israel-Hamas war. However, the Nobel committee had already made up its mind. Trump’s chances will be better next year if the Israel-Hamas peace deal holds.
While Trump has distinguished himself for peaceful overtures around the globe, his approach to Venezuela has been highly hawkish. He has moved significant military assets to the Gulf of America to combat drug traffickers from Venezuela, moves many analysts jointly see as an effort to intimidate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The aggressive moves by Washington, D.C., have sent Caracas into a panic, with Venezuela’s United Nations representative warning that Trump was seeking to topple Maduro and threaten “peace, security, and stability regionally and internationally.”
Caracas said it expected an “armed attack” against Venezuela in “a very short time.”
VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO AWARDED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER TRUMP
Any regime change in Venezuela would involve installing Machado into power.
World leaders have taken turns praising Trump’s peacemaking efforts and arguing that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for months. Russian President Vladimir Putin joined this chorus on Friday, saying the award had lost its legitimacy due to politicization and suggesting that Trump deserved it for his fruitful peace efforts. Trump thanked Putin in a post on Truth Social.
