U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, October 10, held a phone conversation with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, shortly after his administration denounced the decision to award her the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee had announced that Machado was selected for her efforts to advance democratic rights in Venezuela and her “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Speaking to reporters later that evening, Trump confirmed the call, describing Machado as “very nice.”
“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it,’” Trump told reporters with a smile. “A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ though I think she might have.”
The President, who has long sought recognition from the Nobel Committee, claimed he has “been helping her along the way” and hinted that the award might reflect his own 2024 presidential campaign efforts.
Earlier in the day, the White House had criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision, calling it politically motivated. Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on social media that “the Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” while Trump’s special envoy for Venezuela, Richard Grenell, added that “the Nobel Prize died years ago.”
Despite the administration’s disapproval, Machado expressed gratitude to Trump in a post on social media, dedicating the award “to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”
Machado’s award underscores the ongoing tension between Washington and Caracas. Forced into hiding amid a crackdown by President Nicolas Maduro, she has remained a symbol of non-violent resistance, advocating “ballots over bullets.”
Her nomination had received support from several U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described her leadership as “courageous and selfless” in a letter endorsing her candidacy last year.
Some analysts, however, suggested that the Nobel Committee’s decision could be seen as a subtle rebuke of U.S. foreign policy, particularly the administration’s military activity in the Caribbean under the guise of countering narcotrafficking.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after he publicly thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for praising his global peace efforts. Putin had questioned the Nobel Committee’s judgment, saying, “Whether the current U.S. president deserves the Nobel Prize or not, I don’t know. But he’s really doing a lot to resolve complex crises that last for years, even decades.”
