U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday, October 10, that he spoke with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, shortly after his administration publicly criticized the Nobel Committee for awarding her the 2025 Peace Prize instead of him.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee had announced Machado as the winner for her efforts in “promoting democratic rights and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said Machado called him to express her gratitude and to dedicate the prize in his honor.
“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it,’” Trump revealed.
“A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ though I think she might have. She was very nice.”
Trump, who has long argued that his diplomatic achievements merit a Nobel Peace Prize, claimed he had “been helping her along the way” and jokingly suggested the award might have been given in recognition of his 2024 campaign efforts.
Hours before the call, the White House had issued a scathing response to the Nobel Committee’s decision.
Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the committee of placing “politics over peace,” while Trump’s envoy for Venezuela, Richard Grenell, declared that “the Nobel Prize died years ago.”
Despite the administration’s criticism, Machado publicly dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump in a post on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”
Machado, who has been in hiding since being barred from contesting Venezuela’s disputed elections, continues to lead the country’s pro-democracy movement. Her award, which recognizes non-violent democratic advocacy, has been interpreted by some analysts as a subtle critique of Washington’s more aggressive stance in the region.
Earlier on Friday, Trump also drew attention after publicly thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin, who questioned the Nobel Committee’s decision, saying:
“Whether the current U.S. president deserves the Nobel Prize or not, I don’t know. But he’s really doing a lot to resolve complex crises that last for years, even decades.”
The Nobel Peace Prize announcement and the political reactions surrounding it have reignited debate over Trump’s foreign policy legacy and his ongoing influence in global diplomacy.
