President Donald Trump on Friday called Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado to congratulate her on winning the Nobel Peace Prize, reports Bloomberg.
Corina Machado dedicated the award to Trump and the Venezuelan people, writing: "This immense recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is an impetus to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom.
"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 main allies to achieve Freedom and democracy. Venezuela will be free!"
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it picked Corina 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."
"As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times," the committee said in a press release Friday.
Trump, who has long coveted the prestigious prize, has been outspoken about his desire for the honor during both of his presidential terms, particularly lately as he takes credit for ending conflicts around the world. The Republican president had expressed doubts that the Nobel committee would ever grant him the award.
"They'll have to do what they do. Whatever they do is fine. I know this: I didn't do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives," Trump said Thursday.
Although Trump received nominations for the prize, many of them occurred after the Feb. 1 deadline for the 2025 award, which fell just a week and a half into his second term. His name was, however, put forward in December by Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., her office said in a statement, for his brokering of the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states in 2020.
Malta's Foreign Minister Ian Borg on Oct. 9 said he nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and other diplomatic efforts.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early July told the president he, too, recommended him for the prestigious award.
Trump has been nominated in past years as well.
For the past year, Machado has been forced to live in hiding. The 58-year-old industrial engineer was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela's courts from running for president and thus challenging President Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013.
Trump has called for Maduro to step down and has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated with his refusal to do so.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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