White House Fires Back After Donald Trump Loses Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan Politician María Corina Machado

Donald Trump did not win the Nobel Peace Prize after all.

After Trump gloated over the idea of winning the prestigious honor, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was instead awarded to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday, October 10, that the award was being given to a "brave and committed champion of peace," while applauding Machado, 58, for her "tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" and "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said in a statement that the Venezuelan opposition leader meets "all the criteria" Alfred Nobel established when creating the peace prize in 1895.

Frydnes praised Machado for bringing "the country's opposition together" and "being steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy."

In response to Trump, 79, not winning the award, White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung released a scathing statement via X.

"He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will," Cheung boasted. "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace."

Frydnes alluded to Trump's incessant comments suggesting he should win the award after being questioned by journalists on Friday about whether the president of the United States' campaign had any impact on internal deliberations.

He declared: "In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee have seen any [every] type of campaign and media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year from 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 both courage and integrity… we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel."

While the nomination deadline for the Nobel Peace Prize was January 31, Trump has made several nods to feeling deserving of the award ever since he started his second term as U.S. commander-in-chief that same month.

Back in April, Trump acted flattered when a reporter asked Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre whether the Republican politician should win the award for his efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Mr. Prime Minister, I was wondering whether you think that Donald Trump, for his activity in Ukraine and otherwise, deserves to be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize?" the journalist pondered.

In response, Trump bragged, "Thank you very much for that question. I like that question."