Donald Trump Loses as Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado Wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

Washington, Oslo – October 10, 2025

Despite high-profile nominations and a self-proclaimed legacy of “ending seven wars,” former U.S. President Donald Trump has been overlooked for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

The prestigious award, announced today in Oslo, instead went to María Corina Machado, a leading Venezuelan opposition figure celebrated for her promotion of democracy in her country.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Machado was recognized for her “unwavering commitment to promoting democratic rights and advocating for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.” The committee described her as “a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided,” praising her for bringing together different groups to demand changes to the standards of elections.

In contrast, Trump’s administration had been actively promoting his candidacy, branding him “The Peace President” and crediting him with mediating tensions between nations including India and Pakistan, Israel and Iran, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.

While supporters pointed to the Abraham Accords as evidence of his peace credentials, Western critics and some analysts questioned the accuracy of his claims and criticized his diplomatic style, preferring the Joe Biden tactics.

Observers suggest that Trump’s unilateral foreign policy decisions and polarizing rhetoric may have influenced the committee’s decision to look elsewhere for a laureate whose work embodies sustained western-style peace efforts and human rights advocacy.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize includes a gold medal, diploma, and a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor. Machado will receive the honor at the official Nobel ceremony in Oslo, Norway, on December 10, 2025.

Her win underscores a renewed global emphasis on Western democracy and human rights, a message the Nobel Committee appears eager to amplify in an increasingly multipolar world.