WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday despite nominations from fellow Republicans, world leaders, and his own advocacy. The 2025 award was instead given to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was recognized “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,” according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Machado dedicated the award to Trump, praising his support for her cause, and confirmed that he congratulated her in a phone call on Friday. At the White House, Trump highlighted the peace efforts he had made during his presidency. “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,’ I think she might have. She was very nice.”
White House communications director Steven Cheung criticized the committee for allegedly placing politics over peace, citing Trump’s role in brokering a Gaza ceasefire this week. Trump himself emphasized that some nominations he received came after the February 1, 2025, deadline, including one from Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York for his role in brokering the 2020 Abraham Accords.
Trump has long sought the Nobel Peace Prize, often citing his work in ending conflicts abroad. He has also expressed skepticism that the Nobel Committee would ever award him the honor. At the same time, the Gaza ceasefire offers hope for peace, other global conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, remain unresolved, challenging claims of his impact on international stability.
International supporters, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, publicly praised Trump’s efforts and criticized the committee’s decision. Netanyahu’s office posted on X: “The Nobel Committee talks about peace. President @realDonaldTrump makes it happen. The facts speak for themselves. President #Trump deserves it.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, while praising the Gaza ceasefire deal that Trump helped broker, said it was “not up to him to judge whether Trump should have received the prize.” He also criticized the Nobel Committee’s past decisions, noting that it has previously awarded the prize to individuals who, in his view, contributed little to advancing global peace. Trump responded to Putin’s remarks on social media, posting, “Thank you to President Putin!”
Despite high-profile nominations, including from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Pakistan’s government, Trump will have to wait longer for the recognition he has long sought.
The Nobel Peace Prize, first awarded in 1901, honors individuals or groups “who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Three sitting U.S. presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Barack Obama, have won the prize, while former Vice President Al Gore and ex-president Jimmy Carter were awarded after leaving office.
Trump’s repeated pursuit of the prize underscores his continued focus on his perceived global peacemaking role even as domestic and international critics question the breadth and impact of his actions.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
