"The Nobel Prize winner called me today and said, 'I'm accepting it in your honor because you really deserve it,'" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, without mentioning the Venezuelan opposition leader's name."That's very nice of her. I didn't tell her, and then she gives it to me, even though I think she might have done so," he added.
The Nobel committee announced Friday that Maria Corina Machado won the prize for her tireless efforts to promote the democratic rights of the Venezuelan people.
In her initial response, the recipient said she dedicated the award to the suffering of the Venezuelan people and to Trump for his strong support of our cause. Trump said he had helped her along the way.
Maria Corina Machado, 58, is considered a unifying force in the Venezuelan opposition and a fierce opponent of autocratic President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013. She ran for president in 2023, but was disqualified from the election the following year due to alleged irregularities.
White House: Trump has the heart of a humanitarian
The Nobel Peace Prize is a major political award. In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly stressed that he deserves the award, saying he has ended seven wars in just seven months. This week, he led an initial agreement in the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas.
At the same time, critics accuse him of undermining international cooperation based on multilateral treaties, agreements and values. It was unclear whether he was nominated in time for this year's award, as the deadline for nominations was January 31, just eleven days after he returned to the White House.
After the announcement that the Venezuelan opposition leader had won the prize, White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote that the Nobel committee had proven that it was putting politics before peace.
"President Trump will continue to make peace deals, end wars, and save lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian and there will never be anyone like him who moves mountains with the power of his will," Cheung wrote on the X network.
