Trump Says Nobel Prize Winner Wanted to Give Him the Award

Washington: US President Donald Trump said Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado told him she was accepting the award in his honor. Trump added that he did not ask her to dedicate the prize to him, but believed she may have wanted to.

The comments came after a phone call between Trump and Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful fight for democracy in Venezuela. In an interview, Trump said, “The person who actually received the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I am accepting this in your honor because you truly deserved it.’ A very nice thing to do.”

He joked that he didn’t ask her to hand over the award but appreciated the gesture. “She was very nice,” Trump said. “I’ve helped her. She needs a lot of help in Venezuela—it’s a total disaster.”

The Nobel Committee announced on Friday that Machado received the award for her peaceful efforts to bring democracy to Venezuela and for standing up to dictatorship.

While Machado confirmed the call with Trump in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, she chose not to reveal further details.

Trump has previously expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Many of his supporters believe his recent peace efforts, including his Gaza plan, make him deserving of the honor.

Earlier, the White House criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision, saying it overlooked Trump’s contributions to peace. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said, “The Nobel Committee has proven that they prioritize politics over peace.”