Donald Trump has recently expressed his thoughts on the Nobel Peace Prize, asserting that the recipient claimed Trump was the more deserving candidate.
Trump has often expressed his ambition to win the prestigious award, previously won by US presidents such as Barack Obama in 2009, Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and Jimmy Carter in 2002.
This year, however, the prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, recognized for her efforts in advocating for democracy in Venezuela.
The 58-year-old Machado is widely recognized for her victory over Nicolás Maduro in the 2024 Venezuelan election, although Maduro did not acknowledge the result and initiated a political crackdown.
In response to the outcome of the prize, Trump has shared his perspective.
Trump stated: “The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me, and said ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it.’ A really nice thing to do.”
He further added, “I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me’, though.”
Attempting to clarify the committee’s choice, he remarked: “It was given after ’24 and I was running for office in ’24.”
He also commented, “There are those who say that we did so much that they should have done it.”
Trump appeared to reference his involvement in the peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
He claimed, “I’m happy because I saved millions of lives.”
Throughout his career, Trump has often mentioned his desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in ending seven wars and frequently bringing up the award in his speeches.
The White House has previously commented on this year’s award, issuing a statement that the ‘Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.’
Nobel chairman Jørgen Watne Frydnes praised Machado, stating she was honored for ‘her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’
He highlighted her role as a ‘key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided… in a brutal authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis.’
Following the Nobel committee’s announcement, Machado remarked: “We are on the threshold of victory and today more than ever we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.”
She concluded with optimism, “Venezuela will be free!”