Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize on Friday to the Venezuelan people and to US President Donald Trump, crediting him for his ‘decisive support’ of the country’s pro-democracy efforts.

‘I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!’ she wrote on X.

‘We stand on the brink of achieving victory, and now more than ever, we rely on President Trump, the American people, fellow Latin American nations, and democratic countries globally as our primary allies in securing freedom and democracy,’ she stated.

Machado has been in hiding in Venezuela for the past year since elections that authoritarian leftist President Nicolas Maduro is accused of stealing.

Although Machado was prohibited from running for office, she supported her surrogate, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who is widely regarded by the international community as the legitimate winner.

The Nobel Committee recognized her ‘relentless advocacy for democratic rights for Venezuelans and her efforts to facilitate a fair and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’

At 58, Machado has endorsed Trump’s continued military pressure on Maduro, including significant US naval movements near Venezuela, viewing it as a ‘necessary step’ toward a democratic shift in her country.

White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, shared Machado’s post dedicating her Nobel to Trump on her X account.

Several of Machado’s fellow opposition leaders, including two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, congratulated her on her prize.

‘May this recognition be another boody to achieve PEACE and for our Venezuela to leave behind the suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years,’ Capriles wrote on X.

Donald Trump, who brokered peace in Gaza and had been widely discussed as a contender, missed out on the prize, with Frydnes suggesting he was not the most deserving candidate. 

He was quizzed by reporters about his campaign for the award and whether it might have influenced public perception. 

Frydnes responded diplomatically, batting the question away as he explained why the committee chose Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado instead.

‘In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, this committee has seen [every] type of campaign,’ he said.

‘We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year, of people wanting to say what, for them, leads to peace. 

‘This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates and that room is filled with courage and integrity. We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.’

The White House has since responded after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Machado instead of Trump.

‘The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,’ said Steven Cheung, the President’s director of communication.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin weighed in when asked if the US President deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

‘It is not for me to judge whether the current US President deserves the Nobel [Peace] Prize or not, I don’t know. 

‘But he is genuinely doing a lot to resolve these complex crises that have lasted for years, in some cases even decades,’ the Russian leader said.

The announcement came as Israel’s military declared the Gaza ceasefire agreement had now come into effect, following a vote in the cabinet last night.

The US President’s name, heavily floated in the media in recent weeks, did not make the final cut.

In the months leading up to the decision, Trump had vigorously pitched himself as a peacemaker. He offered himself as a bridge builder, pointed to his 20-point Gaza peace plan, and repeatedly insisted he had ended multiple wars.

The two-time US President has been on a not-so-subtle Nobel Prize campaign since his first term in office when he claimed ‘many people’ thought he had earned it.

Speculation he could win the award this year began after he brokered the historic peace agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the two-year war in Gaza.

Both sides have agreed to the first phase of Trump’s plan to pause fighting and release hostages, a deal that could open the way to ending a brutal conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Nobel Committee announced Machado as the prize’s 2025 winner on Friday.

Machado was lauded for being a ‘key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government,’ said Frydnes.

‘In the past year, Miss 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.

‘When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,’ he said.

Nicolás Maduro’s government routinely targeted its real or perceived opponents ahead of last year’s presidential election.

Machado was set to run against Maduro, but the government disqualified her. Edmundo González took her place – he had never run for office before.

The lead-up to the election saw widespread repression including disqualifications, arrests and human rights violations.

The crackdown on dissent only increased after the country’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared him the winner despite credible evidence to the contrary.