The White House accused the Nobel committee of putting “politics before peace” for awarding its most coveted prize to a Venezuelan democracy activist rather than President Donald Trump.
On Friday the committee announced Maria Corea Machado to receive Peace Prize for her “tireless work to promote the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela.”
Trump has openly stated his desire to receive this award, accepting responsibility for ending several global conflicts. He has raised the issue regularly, including during his speech at the UN General Assembly in September.
“The Nobel committee has proven that they put politics before peace,” White House communications director Stephen Chung said after the announcement.
“President Trump will continue to negotiate peace deals, end wars, and save lives,” Chung wrote on X. “He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be a man like him who can move mountains through sheer force of will.”
Trump played a significant role in securing a multi-phase ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. which was announced two days before the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded.
The President also said that during his nine months in office and in his previous term, he had brought an end to numerous global conflicts.
After announcing a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Trump declared: “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEKEEPERS.” The White House called him “president of the world.”
Trump's ambitions to win the Nobel Peace Prize are well known, and mentioning his name for the award has become commonplace among leaders seeking to advance diplomatic interests with the United States.
Many foreign leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have publicly said Trump deserves the prestigious honor.
Answering a question from reporters about the reaction to the Nobel Prize, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Trump is doing a lot to resolve complex crises.
“Thank you to President Putin!” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social, along with a video of Putin, in which he says “this award has lost credibility.”
Machado herself praised Trump at the X after her win, writing: “I dedicate this award to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his strong support of our cause!”
Trump shared Machado's message on his Truth Social platform.
But despite the lobbying, Trump has faced headwinds this year.
Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize close on Jan. 31 each year, just days after Trump takes office, according to the prize's website.
The Nobel Committee meets between February and September to narrow down the list of nominees.
It's unclear what accomplishment Trump would have achieved this year.
Russia's war with Ukraine continues to rage despite Trump's demands that both Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Putin help end the bloodshed.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas is an important development, but it is still in its early stages.
During his second term, Trump pursued an “America First” policy, dramatically changing its place in the global economy and on the diplomatic stage.
Within weeks of taking office, his then-adviser Elon Musk oversaw the dissolution of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which provided humanitarian aid around the world.
The Nobel Committee awards the Peace Prize to leaders who champion “arms control and disarmament, peace negotiations, democracy and human rights, and work to create a better and more peaceful world,” according to its website.
Trump's mass deportation policy has sparked protests across the US and drawn criticism from human rights activists and humanitarian groups.
Trump's attempt to use National Guard troops to patrol US cities with the stated goal of fighting violence and crime has drawn alarm from Democrats and rebukes from federal judges over his domestic use of the military.
Four US presidents have received the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
Only Obama received this award while in office.
