'Decision based on work': Nobel Committee head on why Machado trumped Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was named the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, dashing US President Donald Trump's hopes of getting it

The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday named Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Machado was honoured for her efforts to promote democratic rights in Venezuela and her commitment to achieving a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. 

The announcement brought the curtain down on US President Donald Trump’s ambitions of winning the prized Peace Nobel — an honour he had openly been courting for the past couple of months. Trump has repeatedly cited his role in ending multiple conflicts around the world, including the recent India-Pakistan one, to burnish his credentials for the award. 

 

Why Trump didn’t make the cut

 

Following the announcement, a journalist asked the Committee’s president about Trump’s recent comments, in which he claimed he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize — even saying it would be “an insult to the United States” if he did not get it. 

Nobel Committee President Jørgen Watne Frydnes replied that the panel bases its decisions solely on work and the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite in whose name prizes in various fields are given. 

“In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, this committee has seen any type of campaign and media tension… We receive thousands of letters every year from people saying what peace means to them. This committee sits in a room filled with portraits of all laureates — filled with courage and integrity. We base our decisions only on work and the will of Alfred Nobel,” Frydnes said.

 

Trump’s repeated claims on the prize

 

President Trump has repeatedly stated that he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming credit for stopping “eight wars” in eight months.

 

He also criticised the choice of former President Barack Obama for the Peace Prize nine months into his first term as US president.

 

“He got a prize for doing nothing... He got elected, and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country... Obama was not a good president,” Trump said on Thursday (local time).

 

Despite these assertions, the Nobel Committee chose Machado for her courage and her role in defending democratic values in Venezuela.

 

Who is Maria Corina Machado, who trumped the US President?

 

Machado was recognised for her efforts to promote democratic rights and her work towards a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.

 

“In the past year, Miss Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country — a choice that has inspired millions. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,” the Nobel Committee said in its statement. 

In the past year, #NobelPeacePrize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.  When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to… pic.twitter.com/GA3C7asz4Y

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025

 

The Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted Machado’s commitment to non-violent resistance, her leadership even while living in hiding, and her ability to mobilise ordinary Venezuelans across political lines.

 

This accolade follows Machado’s sharing of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought with fellow Venezuelan Edmundo González Urrutia, awarded for their joint efforts to restore democratic norms amid electoral disputes.

 

About this year’s nominations

 

For the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, the Committee reviewed 338 nominations — including 244 individuals and 94 organisations — before selecting Machado.

 

Last year, the award went to Nihon Hidankyo, Japan’s atomic bomb survivor movement, for its long-standing campaign against nuclear weapons.