US President Donald Trump has said this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, told him she was accepting the award “in honor” of him, after he was overlooked for the prestigious recognition.
“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called me and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it.’ he said.
“I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’” he added, drawing chuckles from his advisers. “I think she might have. She was very nice.”
He also suggested the award might have been given for 2024 achievements, adding, “You could also say it was given out for ’24, and I was running for office in ’24.”
US President Donald Trump was passed over for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, despite strong backing from Republican allies, several world leaders, and his own vocal campaigning for the honor.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had been nominated last year by a group that included then-Sen.
Machado dedicated her award to Trump and the Venezuelan people, expressing gratitude for the US president’s support.
Her campaign manager Magalli Meda confirmed that Trump congratulated her by phone on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the White House had expressed sharper criticism. Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the Nobel Committee of putting “politics over peace” for overlooking Trump’s role in brokering the Gaza ceasefire deal this week.
Machado’s opposition to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro aligns closely with Trump’s stance. Secretary of State Rubio praised her as “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”
Trump, who has long sought the Nobel honor, has repeatedly claimed credit for helping end global conflicts. However, several of his nominations came after the February 2025 deadline, according to his supporters. Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney confirmed she nominated Trump in December for his role in the Abraham Accords, which normalized Israel’s relations with several Arab nations.
Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said campaigns for particular candidates are common. “We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year,” he noted. “We base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”
Three sitting US presidents — Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Barack Obama — have previously received the Nobel Peace Prize. Jimmy Carter and Al Gore were later recipients. Trump, contrasting himself with Obama, remarked Thursday, “They gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country.”
Trump often cites his efforts to “end seven wars,” though many of the conflicts he refers to involved diplomatic tensions rather than formal wars. While the Gaza ceasefire deal took effect Friday, questions remain over Hamas’ disarmament and Gaza’s governance, and little progress has been made in ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Domestically, Trump’s presidency remains divisive as he advances mass deportation plans and uses government powers against political rivals. Internationally, he has engaged in trade disputes, declared cartels as combatants, and ordered strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
The Nobel nomination list is confidential, but Trump’s critics say many nominations announced publicly are attempts by allies to flatter him.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who nominated Trump for the prize earlier this year, reposted the White House response on social media, writing, “The Nobel Committee talks about peace. President @realDonaldTrump makes it happen.”
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also defended Trump, calling it “sheer stupidity” not to award him the prize. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Tajikistan, declined to judge but praised the Gaza ceasefire and criticized the committee’s past decisions. Trump responded online: “Thank you to President Putin!”
Among others who nominated Trump after this year’s deadline were Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Pakistan’s government, citing his efforts to promote regional peace.
