Sore losers

No Trump Nobel Prize: White House fuming with rage

Trump himself has not yet commented on missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize. However, there is great incomprehension in his circle.(Bild: AFP/MANDEL NGAN)

It was supposed to be the greatest triumph of his political career - but the Nobel Prize for Peace 2025 went to someone else. Instead of US President Donald Trump, the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the prestigious award. The White House is furious: "The Nobel Committee puts politics before peace," raged spokesman Steven Cheung on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

The decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee was made on Friday. Machado was honored "for her tireless work for the democratic rights of Venezuelans and her fight for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy," explained Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the committee in Oslo. Despite serious threats to her life, Machado remained in Venezuela, an attitude that inspired millions.

Trump repeatedly claimed the award for himself
Trump had aggressively campaigned for the award for months, repeatedly emphasizing that he had brokered peace agreements worldwide, and only this week announced the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. He posted videos of his supporters celebrating the Gaza deal on Truth Social on Friday. However, the president initially failed to comment on the final decision.

Trump himself has not yet commented on missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize. However, there is great incomprehension in his circle.(Bild: AFP/MANDEL NGAN)

"Moving mountains with sheer willpower"
However, Cheung has now let it be known how the White House feels about the decision: "President Trump will continue to conclude peace agreements, end wars and save lives ... He has a heart for humanity, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains by sheer force of will." But the Nobel Committee was not impressed. Frydnes emphasized that the decision was based solely on Machado's work and the will of Alfred Nobel.

Machado is regarded as a key figure in a previously deeply divided opposition in Venezuela, which is pursuing common goals such as free elections and representative government. The award comes against a backdrop of massive repression by Nicolás Maduró's government, including the disqualification of candidates, arbitrary arrests and human rights violations.

Nominations still no guarantee of a prize
For Trump, this is already the next missed opportunity: he has been nominated for the Nobel Prize several times during his two terms in office, including by Benjamin Netanyahu, Cambodian and Ukrainian politicians as well as members of parliament from the USA, Sweden and Norway. Nevertheless, a nomination is no guarantee of winning - and Trump's successes, to which he referred, are partly after the nomination deadline of January 31.

Despite his intense campaign, partly reminiscent of his previous obsession with awards and recognition, the commission came out in favor of the courageous opposition leader. For Trump, all that remains is the certainty that no amount of self-promotion, diplomatic deals or media pressure was enough to bring the Nobel Peace Prize to Washington in 2025.