US President Donald Trump delivers consolation speech, claims Nobel Peace Prize winner accepted the award ‘in his honour’

Trump reaction to Nobel Peace Prize
Donald Trump links himself to María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize win (Image via The New Republic and Reuters)

Former US President Donald Trump has once again grabbed headlines after claiming that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado accepted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize “in his honour.” Trump made the remarks during a briefing on Saturday (11th October) saying that Machado personally called him after winning the award.

“So the person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honour of you because you really deserved it.’ A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘then give it to me,’ though,” Trump said with a laugh, recounting his conversation with the Venezuelan leader.

He went on to praise Machado and suggested that he had been supporting her efforts in Venezuela for a long time. “I’ve been helping her along the way. They need a lot of help in Venezuela. It’s a basic disaster,” Trump said. He also reflected on his own role in global diplomacy, claiming that his peace initiatives during his presidency “saved millions of lives.”

“You could also say it was given out for 24, and I was running for office in 24. But we did so much that they should have done it. I’m happy because I saved millions of lives, many millions of lives,” he added.

Machado recognised for her fight for democracy

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado for her efforts to promote democratic rights and a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela. 

According to the Nobel Committee, Maria Corina Machado, the key face of the opposition in Venezuela, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Machado, one of the strongest voices opposing President Nicolás Maduro’s rule, has been a key figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement for years. 

White House praises Trump’s peace legacy

Following the announcement, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung defended Trump’s record and accused the Nobel Committee of prioritising politics over peace.

 “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” Cheung wrote on X.

Machado dedicates award to Venezuelans and Trump

In her first public reaction after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado said the honour was dedicated to “the suffering people of Venezuela” and also to former President Trump. She said her people were counting on the United States and its leadership to help Venezuela achieve freedom and democracy.

“This immense recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is an impetus to conclude our task: to achieve freedom,” Machado wrote on X. “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 principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”

“In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life, she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people,” the Nobel committee said in a statement.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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