After months of pitching himself for the Nobel Peace Prize, Donald Trump seems to have finally gotten the recognition, at least indirectly. The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday (October 10, 2025) awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuela’s opposition leader and democracy activist Maria Corina Machado.
US President Trump, who has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize in recent times, claimed on Saturday (October 11, 2025) that this year’s laureate Machado accepted the award “in his honour.” Speaking at a press briefing, Trump said that the winner accepted the peace prize in his honour.
“The person who got the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honour of you because you really deserved it’… I didn’t say, ‘Give it to me’, though. I think she might have… I’ve been helping her along the way… I’m happy because I saved millions of lives…’”
Though the Nobel Committee never mentioned Trump, he portrayed the honour as a symbolic nod to his efforts.
Nobel Peace Prize 2025: Who is the actual winner and why have they been awarded?
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado for her campaign to restore democracy to Venezuela. The committee praised her for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela,” and “struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
There was no reference to Trump in the official announcement.
Has Trump been actively seeking the prize?
Yes and quite openly. For over a year, Trump has branded himself the “president of peace,” repeatedly claiming he has ended six or seven wars, in just about seven months. His strong push to end the Israel-Hamas conflict in recent months was also aimed at being awarded the Nobel perhaps.
Trump has also claimed that he prevented conflicts in the Middle East and South Asia, and so he deserved the Nobel “four or five times” over. In a September 2025 speech at the UN, he even cited supposed de-escalations between India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, and “even Thailand and Cambodia” as justification.
Is this moment a consolation or a snub for Trump?
While Trump insists Machado’s private words validated his efforts, the fact remains: he didn’t get the prize. The Nobel Committee made its decision independent of his claims, and the award went to someone whose struggle is entirely separate from his foreign policy narratives.
For Trump, who has long argued that “everyone says” he deserves the honour, this year’s outcome is a reminder that his campaign for recognition continues to fall short.
After the Nobel Committee’s winner announcement, the White House stated that “the US President will continue to make peace deals, end wars, and save lives.” In a subtle dig, it even said that they chose politics over peace. “Once again, the Nobel Committee has proved they place politics over peace,” White House statement read.
Did María Corina Machado dedicate her award to Trump?
After being named as the Nobel Peace Prize 2025 winner, Machado thanked Trump, saying that her country counts on President Trump and the US more than ever “to achieve freedom and democracy”. “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 main allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she wrote in the social media post.
In a separate post, the Nobel laureate said she dedicate the peace prize to the people of Venezuela and to President Trump “for his decisive support”.
Why Trump didn’t get Nobel Peace Prize?
It is not secret that the US President received several nominations from world leaders and yet he wasn’t given this year’s Nobel. Among those who backed Trump for Nobel include Russia, Rwanda, Gabon, Azerbaijan, and Cambodia. Several international leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistani leader Shehbaz Sharif.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee addressed a question on Trump’s claim to the peace prize saying that the decision on awarding the coveted prize is based on the work and will of Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prize. “This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So, we base only our decision on the work and will of Alfred Nobel.”
Was Nobel snub also a diplomatic letdown for Trump’s supporters?
In a way, yes, particularly for Pakistan, which was among the governments that formally nominated Trump, styling him as a “champion of peace.” The outcome represents not only a personal disappointment for Trump but also a symbolic setback for those backing his bid on the global stage.