The 58-year-old Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado — widely known as Venezuela’s Iron Lady—has won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, dashing the hopes of US President Donald Trump, who had openly hoped to receive the honor.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized Machado for her “tireless work to promote the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and her struggle for a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
The committee praised her as “a brave and committed champion of peace who keeps the flame of democracy burning during a growing darkness.”
Machado, 58, has long been a leading figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement and a vocal critic of President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime.
Following last year’s contested election—widely viewed as rigged—she went into hiding but continued to inspire the opposition’s efforts from within the country.
The liberal politician, who co-founded Vente Venezuela in 2013 and served in the National Assembly from 2010 to 2015, has faced arrests, travel bans, and political persecution for her activism.
While the Prize will no doubt rankle Trump, who has repeatedly argued he deserved to win the prize for resolving “eight wars”, the choice of Machado will not hurt the Republican, who has opened a front against Maduro over drug trafficking operations in Venezuela.
Trump’s moves have fueled speculation that the US might be pushing for regime change in the country.
In fact, Machado had thanked Trump in August, days after the US doubled its reward for Maduro’s capture to US $50 million.
“We, Venezuelans, thank President Trump and his administration for their firm and decisive action to dismantle the criminal and terrorist structure that is illegitimately holding onto power in our country,” she had tweeted.
Despite these challenges, she has remained in Venezuela, symbolizing steadfast resistance against oppression.
Her victory comes after months of speculation surrounding Trump’s own campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize, which the committee dismissed as irrelevant to its decision.
Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said, “We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”
Machado, who recently appeared on Time Magazine’s list of The 100 Most Influential People of 2025, dedicated her recognition to “the Venezuelan people who continue to fight for freedom, justice, and peace.”
The award places her among a distinguished circle of global human rights advocates—an acknowledgment not only of her courage but also of the enduring struggle for democracy in Venezuela.
Thus, all his claims about solving eight wars, including the one between India and Pakistan, had no impact on the Nobel committee’s decision. Thus, the nominations by Israel and Pakistan counted little.
The only valid nomination was submitted by New York Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, citing Trump’s leadership in establishing the Abraham Accords, which normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab nations.
Thus, Trump’s best bet maybe next year.
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