White House Condemns Nobel Peace Prize Decision After Committee Chooses Machado Over Trump
White House Condemns Nobel Peace Prize Decision After Committee Chooses Machado Over Trump
In a statement posted on X, White House spokesman Steven Cheung accused the Nobel Committee of “placing politics over peace,” saying Trump’s global diplomacy record made him more deserving of the prestigious award.
The White House on Friday lashed out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado instead of U.S. President Donald Trump, who had openly lobbied for the honor.
In a statement posted on X, White House spokesman Steven Cheung accused the Nobel Committee of “placing politics over peace,” saying Trump’s global diplomacy record made him more deserving of the prestigious award.
“President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. 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 wrote.
The Nobel Committee, however, said its decision to honour Machado was in recognition of “courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist authoritarian leadership,” a reference to her role in challenging President Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.
Trump, who recently announced a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal in the Gaza conflict, has repeatedly argued that his administration’s foreign policy achievements merit global recognition.
The president did not immediately respond to the Nobel announcement, but on Friday morning, he posted three videos on his Truth Social account showing supporters celebrating the Gaza peace deal.
Trump has long complained that the Nobel Committee is biased against him, claiming he has “ended eight wars” since returning to office in January and accusing the body of snubbing him out of political spite.
“Will you get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing,” Trump told senior U.S. military officials last month, adding that it would be a “big insult” to the United States if he was overlooked again.
Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize closed on January 31, just days after Trump began his second term in the White House on January 20, making it unlikely that his latest diplomatic initiatives were considered for this year’s award.
The Nobel Peace Prize, awarded annually in Oslo, Norway, recognises individuals or organisations that have made “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
Trump has been nominated several times in the past but has never won, a fact he often attributes to political bias within the Nobel establishment.
