When questioned about the Nobel Prize on Friday evening, Trump stated that Machado had reached out to him, expressing that he “deserved” to win.
US President Donald Trump remarked on Friday that Nobel Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado had contacted him following her receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Earlier in the day, the White House had commented that the Nobel Committee had prioritized “politics over peace,” criticizing the choice to award the peace prize to the Venezuelan Opposition leader.
In the past, Trump has consistently voiced his aspiration to receive the award, asserting that he has facilitated multiple international ceasefire agreements.
When questioned about the Nobel Prize on Friday evening, Trump reiterated that Machado had called him, stating that she believed he “deserved” to win.
“The individual who actually received the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I am accepting this in your honor, because you truly deserved it,'” Trump remarked, adding that it was a “very kind gesture.”
He further mentioned that Machado would have presented him with the award had he requested it. “I did not say, ‘Then give it to me,’ although I believe she might have. She was exceedingly gracious,” he noted.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in awarding the prize to Machado, referenced “courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist” against authoritarian governance.
Machado dedicates her Nobel victory to Trump.
Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado dedicated her achievement to the US President. “I dedicate this award to the suffering populace of Venezuela and to President Trump for his pivotal support of our cause!” Machado stated in a message on X.
“We stand on the brink of victory, and now more than ever, we rely on President Trump, the citizens of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our primary allies in the pursuit of freedom and democracy,” Machado expressed in another message.
Following the announcement of the award, the White House indicated that Trump would “persist in brokering peace agreements, concluding wars, and preserving lives.”
“He possesses the spirit of a humanitarian, and there will never be another individual capable of moving mountains through the sheer strength of his determination,” stated White House spokesperson Steven Cheung in a post on X.
