Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela and to U.S. President Donald Trump, praising 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!” she wrote on X.
“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 in achieving freedom and democracy,” she added.
Machado has been in hiding for the past year following disputed elections that critics say were rigged by President Nicolás Maduro. Barred from running, she supported ex-diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, whom much of the international community recognises as the rightful winner.
The Nobel Committee honoured Machado, 58, 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.”
She has publicly backed Trump’s continued pressure on Maduro, including a U.S. naval deployment near Venezuela, calling it a “necessary measure” for restoring democracy.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared Machado’s post on her X account, highlighting her message to Trump.
Trump, who brokered peace in Gaza and was considered a strong contender, ultimately missed out on the Nobel, with Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes saying he was “not the most deserving candidate.”
