Here’s why María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize over Trump

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner has been announced – and despite his protestations, it’s not Donald Trump.

Maria Corina Machado has won the prize for promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela, having spent 20 years ‘working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people’.

Having received threats from the government and been forced to live in hiding, Maria chose to remain in her country in a move which has ‘inspired millions’.

But despite her decades of campaigning, there may be some supporters of the US president who feel he was snubbed.

Vladimir Putin has tried to blame Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky after Trump failed to claim the prize, suggesting Ukraine’s bid to arm itself with US Tomahawk missiles thwarted his chances.

So who is Maria Corina Machado, what has been happening in Venezuela, and why has she been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

Who is Maria Corina Machado?

Maria Corina Machado, 58, is the leader of the opposition in the Venezuelan government.

As well as the Nobel Peace Prize, she also won the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize and Sakharov Prize last year.

Maria has a degree in industrial engineering from Andrés Bello Catholic University and a master’s degree in finance from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA) in Caracas.

She also graduated from Yale University’s Maurice R. Greenberg World Fellows Program in 2009.

She has three children and in 1992 started Fundación Atenea, which uses private donations to care for orphaned street children in Caracas.

Discussing the reason for Maria’s win, the committee said: ‘When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist.

‘She has shown the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future.

‘She won 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.’

The government barred Maria from registering as a candidate in last year’s election, despite winning the primary in 2023 with 92% of the vote.

She then turned to back Edmundo González’s presidential campaign, despite repression from the authoritarian Nicolás Maduro regime.

The opposition says polling data would prove its candidate won by a wide margin. The Venezuelan electoral council refuses to release this data.

Maria started to draw government attention in 2012. While still a legislator, she she stood up in the National Assembly and boldly denounced the corruption of Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

She was stripped of her National Assembly seat in 2014, despite winning it with a record number of votes in 2010.

She has been physically attacked, accused of treason, and accused of conspiring in a plot to assassinate Maduro.

What is happening in Venezuela?

Tensions have been running increasingly high in Venezuela for a quarter of a century, after 25 years of the socialist PSUV party running the country.

Nicolás Maduro became president in 2013, and has been re-elected twice in elections described as ‘undemocratic’.

The European Union, the United States and a number of Latin American nations have refused to recognise the result.

Not long after Maduro was elected in 2011, global oil prices plummeted which left Venezuela in a seven-year recession.

Inflation skyrocketed and there were widespread shortages of basic goods amid the collapse, as Venezuela relies almost entirely on oil revenue for its income.

There were waves of anti-government protests in 2014 and 2017, which died off after police crackdowns.

More than 7.7million Venezuelans have fled the country to escape political repression and poverty.

But Maduro has remained in control of the country, thanks to the support of his country’s military as well as from China and Russia.

How has Trump responded?

The US president has made no secret of the fact that he is itching to be handed the world’s most prestigious award.

He claimed to have ‘ended seven unendable wars’ since his second term during his speech at the UN in September.

Trump was apparently nominated more than 10 times, including by Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Trump’s role in ending the conflict between Israel and Iran.

So far, the US president hasn’t directly responded over failing to win the Nobel peace prize.

However, he has since shared a number of videos on his Truth Social account relating to other news stories.

And the White House has accused the peace prize committee of choosing ‘politics over peace’.

Steven Cheung, a White House spokesman, told The Telegraph: ‘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.

‘The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.’

Who were the other nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize 2025?

The Nobel committee chose Maria Corina Machado from more than 338 nominations – 244 individuals and 94 organisations.

However, the names of nominees are never confirmed publicly, whether to the candidates themselves nor to the media.

If a name is announced, this is usually either due to speculation or after individuals announce they have nominated specific candidates.

The favourite was Mr Zelensky alongside Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Another potential winner was thought to be Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, a volunteer-run group which played a crucial role in providing humanitarian aid during the country’s civil war.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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