Machado dedicates Nobel Peace Prize to Trump, calls him key ally

CARACAS (Venezuela): Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Friday dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and to US President Donald Trump, praising his “decisive support” for her country’s pro-democracy movement.

“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” Machado wrote on X.

She said Venezuela was “on the threshold of victory,” adding that her movement counted on “President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world” as their principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.

Machado, who has been in hiding for the past year following disputed elections widely seen as rigged by President Nicolas Maduro’s government, was barred from contesting the vote herself. She instead endorsed former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom much of the international community regards as the rightful winner.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Machado was recognised for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Machado, 58, has long supported Trump’s hardline stance on Venezuela, including the former US president’s decision to deploy naval forces near the country—a move she described as a “necessary measure” for restoring democracy.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared Machado’s post on her X account, amplifying her message of appreciation for Trump.

Several Venezuelan opposition figures, including two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, also congratulated Machado on receiving the prize.

“May this recognition be another boost to achieve peace and for our Venezuela to leave behind suffering and reclaim the freedom and democracy it has fought for so many years,” Capriles wrote on X.

Earlier, the White House sharply criticised the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Machado instead of Donald Trump, who had publicly positioned himself as a top contender.

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung said the decision reflected “politics over peace,” arguing that President Trump’s diplomatic achievements warranted global recognition.