Trump Misses Out on Nobel Peace Prize, Rages as Venezuela’s Machado Takes the Honour
It’s not the news Donald Trump wanted to hear this morning. The U.S. President, who had been loudly declaring himself the world’s greatest peacemaker, has been snubbed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee—which instead awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader celebrated for her fearless fight for democracy.
While Trump’s team had spent weeks stoking speculation that his diplomatic “successes” might finally earn him the coveted honour, the committee made no mention of him during the announcement in Oslo. Chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes hailed Machado as “a brave and committed champion of peace, a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness.”
The silence on Trump’s name was deafening—and, according to insiders, likely to spark another trademark outburst from the Oval Office. The President is yet to comment, but officials in Washington reportedly expect a familiar social media tirade to follow soon.
The ‘Peace President’ That Wasn’t
Trump has long boasted that he “stopped seven wars” and transformed the White House into “the world’s peace hub.” His aides even launched an informal campaign branding him “The Peace President,” complete with photo ops and hashtags.
Earlier this week, the White House’s official account shared a photograph of Trump strolling down a hallway in a blue suit and yellow tie with the caption, “The Peace President.” The move now appears awkwardly premature.
The President has claimed credit for attempting to mediate conflicts from Russia–Ukraine to Israel–Hamas, and even boasted of halting wars between countries including India and Pakistan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan. India, however, publicly refuted his claim of having “stopped” a war in May, stating the ceasefire came only after Pakistan’s military sought de-escalation.
A Prize Beyond His Reach
Despite months of self-promotion, experts had long dismissed Trump’s chances of winning. “The Nobel Committee tends to reward sustained, multilateral peacebuilding, not short-term diplomatic theatre,” said Theo Zenou, a historian at the Henry Jackson Society.
Even Trump seemed to anticipate rejection. In July, he had complained: “No, I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do… but the people know, and that’s all that matters.”
The Real Winner
Meanwhile, Maria Corina Machado, the woman who beat him to the honour, continues to live in hiding in Venezuela after being barred from contesting elections against President Nicolás Maduro. Her recognition, Frydnes said, represents “a salute to courage in the face of dictatorship.”
Nobel Drama and History
The Nobel announcement itself had a cinematic flair. The Committee released a short video showing Frydnes adjusting his suit and tie before stepping out to a packed press hall to declare: “The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 goes to a brave and committed champion of peace…”
Machado joins a long line of peace laureates that includes four former U.S. presidents—Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama. Trump has frequently compared himself to them, especially Obama, once scoffing, “He got it for doing nothing!”
As of Friday evening, the President had yet to issue a public statement—but few doubt it’s coming. After all, the man who once dubbed himself “Modern-Day Buddha” is unlikely to take a Nobel snub quietly.