The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado rather than Donald Trump, who has openly expressed his desire to win the honor. On October 10, 2025, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Machado’s recognition 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.”
“Maria Corina Machado meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate,” the committee indicated in its announcement. “She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy.”
In response to Machado’s recognition, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the committee of placing “politics over peace” with its bestowment of the 2025 award.
BREAKING NEWS
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize to Maria Corina Machado 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… pic.twitter.com/Zgth8KNJk9— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
“President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives,” Cheung tweeted. “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. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
Three months later, after the U.S. captured now-former President Nicolás Maduro, Machado visited Trump and gave him her Nobel Peace Prize in January 2026.
So, who is Machado, and what has she done for her country to win the Nobel Peace Prize? Learn all about the politician and opposition leader here.
Maria Corina Machado Is a Politician & Industrial Engineer
Though politics are her passion, Machado studied industrial engineering at Andrés Bello Catholic University. She also earned a master’s degree in finance from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración, or IESA, a business school in Caracas, before focusing on her candidacy for the 2012 Venezuelan presidential election. She lost the primary to Henrique Capriles Radonski.
After Venezuela’s July 2024 election, both former President Maduro and his opponent, Edmundo González Urrutia, claimed victory, though the results were contested. Machado said she could prove that Maduro did not win, and then–Secretary of State Antony Blinken supported that assertion, citing “overwhelming evidence” of Maduro’s alleged defeat.
In the past year, #NobelPeacePrize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.
When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to… pic.twitter.com/GA3C7asz4Y
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 10, 2025
Maria Corina Machado Is in Hiding
Following the 2024 election, several opposition leaders in Venezuela went into hiding, including Machado, after the government sought to quash dissent. She initially remained in the country despite being the target of political violence on multiple occasions, including in 2011 when she was pelted with stones and bottles by a group of government supporters.
Because Machado remains in hiding, it is unclear whether she will be able to attend the December 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway.
Upon winning the award, Machado said that Venezuelans were “working very hard to achieve” peace in their country.
“I hope you understand this is a movement, this is the achievement of a whole society,” Machado said, adding, “I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this.”
Maria Corina Machado’s 3 Children Live Away From Home
Since their mother is a target of political violence, Machado’s three children do not live at home. Machado is also divorced, and she keeps her family’s personal details away from the public eye.
