Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and US President Donald Trump, citing his “decisive support” for her country’s pro-democracy movement.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” Machado wrote on X on Friday.
“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,” she added.
Machado has been in hiding in Venezuela for the past year following elections that authoritarian leftist President Nicolas Maduro is accused of stealing.
The politician, who was barred from contesting the election, campaigned for her stand-in, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, whom much of the international community regards as the rightful winner.
The Nobel Committee recognized Machado 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.”
The 58-year-old opposition leader has endorsed Trump’s ongoing campaign of military pressure on Maduro, including a significant US naval deployment near Venezuela, describing it as a “necessary measure” towards achieving democratic transition in the South American nation.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared Machado’s post dedicating her Nobel Prize to Trump on her X account, amplifying the Venezuelan leader’s message of gratitude.
Donald Trump, who recently brokered a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and had been widely discussed as a potential Nobel Peace Prize contender, did not receive the award. Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jorgen Watne Frydnes suggested Trump was not the most deserving candidate this year.
Machado’s recognition comes amid escalating tensions between the United States and the Maduro regime, with the Trump administration intensifying pressure on Venezuela through sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and military posturing aimed at supporting democratic forces in the country.
