President Donald Trump has lost out on the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, despite brokering peace in many global conflicts including the war in Gaza.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its decision on Friday, naming Machado as this year’s laureate “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes described her as a “unifying figure” who has shown extraordinary “courage” in confronting President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime, often under threats, harassment, and restrictions on her movement.
Advertisement
Nicknamed Venezuela’s “Iron Lady,” Machado has remained one of the most outspoken voices in the country’s opposition, even as she was banned from running against Maduro in last year’s disputed presidential election.
Despite opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia claiming a landslide victory, Maduro refused to concede.
Trump, who just days earlier announced he had brokered a historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, was widely seen as a leading contender for the prize.
His allies had mounted an intense last-minute campaign, highlighting his role in ending what he described as “seven endless wars” and securing a deal to end nearly two years of conflict in Gaza.
However, the Nobel Committee appeared unmoved. According to The Telegraph, the panel’s decision was made well before the ceasefire announcement, with deliberations concluding earlier in the week.
Kristian Berg Harpviken, the committee’s secretary, clarified that the Peace Prize rewards sustained contributions, not “last-minute achievements.”
“The prize primarily recognizes work done in 2024 and previous years,” Harpviken told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
According to The Telegraph, analysts had long predicted that Trump’s controversial record, including his withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accords, and his trade wars with allies, would weigh against him.
Nina Graeger of the Peace Research Institute Oslo said such policies “go against the spirit of Nobel’s will,” which emphasizes peace, disarmament, and international cooperation.
Asle Sveen, a historian of the Nobel Prize, added that Trump’s perceived admiration for strongmen like Vladimir Putin “undermined his chances.”
Trump did not hide his desire to join the ranks of past U.S. presidents who won the Peace Prize, including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama. In his first term, he also oversaw the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab states.
But the committee maintained that its choice of Machado reflected “the enduring courage of those who fight for freedom and democracy under repressive regimes.”
Machado, currently living in hiding within Venezuela, has been separated from her family for months. In a recent interview, she said she dreams of a “free Venezuela” and urged Western nations to intensify pressure on Maduro.
“The regime is weaker than ever, this is a historic opportunity that comes once in a lifetime,” she said.