Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has dedicated her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to both the people of Venezuela and U.S. President Donald Trump, acknowledging what she described as his “decisive support” for her country’s pro-democracy struggle.
“I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” Machado wrote on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the Nobel Committee’s announcement.
She continued:
“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 principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”
The Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Machado on October 10, 2025, citing her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and her struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Machado, 58, has been in hiding for over a year after being barred from running in the country’s presidential election.
Despite the restriction, she actively supported opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, a former diplomat widely recognized internationally as the rightful winner of the disputed election.
President Nicolas Maduro is accused of manipulating the electoral process to remain in power.
The Nobel announcement marks a high point in Machado’s decades-long campaign against the authoritarian rule of Maduro.
Her efforts have garnered strong support from the U.S government under President Trump, whose administration has imposed sanctions and maintained a heavy military presence near Venezuela’s coast, a move Machado has defended as “a necessary measure” to bring about democratic change.
The dedication of her Nobel Prize to Trump quickly gained attention, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reposting Machado’s statement on X.
Several Venezuelan opposition figures, including prominent politician Henrique Capriles, offered congratulations.
“May this recognition be another boost 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 posted.
