Why Trump Did Not Win Nobel Peace Prize? Committee Replies: 'Decision Only On...'
The committee dismissed nominations for Donald Trump, despite high-profile endorsements.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader and democracy activist Maria Corina Machado, a decision that is likely to reverberate far beyond Caracas and reach the White House.
For months, speculation swirled that US President Donald Trump, who has frequently touted his role in resolving international disputes, might finally clinch the award he openly coveted. Trump often reminded audiences that his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, had received the Peace Prize in 2009.
But the Nobel Committee made clear that the prize is not awarded on the basis of lobbying or political campaigns.
“This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. We base our decision solely on the work and will of Alfred Nobel,” said Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes at a press briefing.
Trump’s Nominations Dismissed
Trump has been nominated multiple times for the Peace Prize, with endorsements reportedly coming from countries including Russia, Rwanda, Gabon, Azerbaijan, and Cambodia. International leaders such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistani politician Shehbaz Sharif also put his name forward.
Despite the high-profile backing, the Committee brushed off the suggestion that nominations or publicity campaigns influence its choices.
“We receive thousands of letters every year from people outlining what, for them, leads to peace,” Frydnes noted. “But the values that guide us are courage and integrity.”
Machado’s Recognition
While much attention had focused on Trump, the Committee instead honoured Maria Corina Machado for her relentless struggle to restore democracy in Venezuela. The award highlights her “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and her “struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy” under Nicolás Maduro’s rule.
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