White House blasts Nobel committee for playing 'politics' with its peace prize

The White House slammed the Nobel committee on Friday for playing “politics” with its prestigious peace prize after President Donald Trump lobbied heavily for the honor — only to see it awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The committee said it was honoring her “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Her victory came as the Trump administration has repeatedly targeted vessels off Venezuela’s coast, claiming they were “drug ships,” escalating its campaign against Venezuela’s drug cartels.

The White House was bitter in its response to Friday’s award announcement.

President Donald Trump “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,” communications director Steven Cheung said in a post on social media.

“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” he added.

The president later joked that he didn’t ask Machado for the prize when he spoke to her Friday morning, but pointed out all the support he has given her.

“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today,” he said without saying Machado’s name. “She said, I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it.” Very nice thing to do. I didn’t say then, give it to me, though I think she might have. She was very nice, and you know I’ve been helping her along the way. They’ve needed a lot of help in Venezuela. “

Trump also told reporters in the Oval Office that the prize was awarded for work done last year. “It was given out for ‘24, and I was running for office in ‘24,” he said.

He spoke of his eight peace deals and noted: “I’m happy because they save millions of lives.”

Trump campaigned heavily for the prize, repeatedly boasting of all the wars he’s ended in his 10 months in office and reposting tributes to his work on social media.

But he tried to downplay expectations on Thursday, telling reporters in the Oval Office: “They’ll have to do what they do. Whatever they do is fine. I know this: I didn’t do it for that. I did it because I saved a lot of lives.”

Machado did praise Trump in her response to the award, dedicating the prize to him and the “suffering people of Venezuela.”

“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,” she said. “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”

Trump has spoken well of Machado in the past. In a social media post in January, before he took office, Trump praised her for “peacefully expressing the voices and the will” of the people of Venezuela.

The Nobel Committee was dismissive of Trump’s lobbying campaign.

When asked about the pressure from Trump’s allies to give the president the award, Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes told reporters on Friday: “We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace.”

He added that the award is based on “courage and integrity, so we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel.”

Trump received multiple nominations for the award, but many of them came after the Feb. 1 deadline for the 2025 prize.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed Trump deserved the peace prize for brokering a deal with Hamas, but his nomination came on Wednesday after a deal was announced.

Pinellas County Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina also attempted to nominate Trump for the prize earlier this week.

“The Nobel Peace Prize should honor not just ideals, but real, measurable accomplishments,” Luna wrote in a letter to the prize committee in Norway on Wednesday, “I strongly urge you to award President Donald J. Trump the 2025 Nobel Peace.”

A spokesperson for the congresswoman said the nomination was technically for the 2026 Peace Prize.

The administration has not commented specifically on Machado winning the prize. She has built a powerful movement in Venezuela challenging President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called her “the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism.”

In 2024, Rubio, who was then a senator from Florida, joined fellow Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida in nominating Machado for the peace prize.

“She has risked everything to rally the previously flagging spirits of the Venezuelan people,” they wrote in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee dated Aug. 26, 2024. “Machado stands as a beacon of hope and resilience.”

Six other members of the Florida congressional delegation signed onto that nomination, including all three South Florida Republicans — Reps. María Elvira Salazar, Carlos A. Giménez and Mario Díaz-Balart. “The world honors her courage, and the indomitable spirit of the Venezuelan people who still believe in freedom and a better future,” Salazar posted on social media Friday. “We celebrate the recognition of a woman who represents the hope and courage of the Venezuelan people,” Gimenez echoed.

“The Nobel committee rightly recognized Machado’s fight for peace,” Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement to the Herald. “No one is more deserving.”

Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart congratulated Machado and praised Trump.

“This honor recognizes her extraordinary courage in risking everything for the sacred cause of freedom, despite relentless adversity,” he said in a statement to the Herald.

“No U.S. President since Reagan has shown greater leadership or such unwavering solidarity with those resisting tyranny than President Donald Trump. Thanks to his unparalleled support, the Venezuelan people are closer than ever to freedom and democracy,” he added.

Friday’s Peace Prize is reflective of work done in 2024, which was before Trump assumed his second term in office. Rubio has yet to comment on Machado’s win. Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X it was “great to see” Machado win the award, calling her, “a hero and freedom and democracy leader in Venezuela.”

A few minutes later, he added a second post: “With today’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement, we can’t forget the accomplishments of President Trump,” adding that Trump should be the next winner.