Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Since his second term began, Donald Trump has openly campaigned to become only the fifth U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize, touting his involvement in ongoing conflicts like the war in Ukraine and Gaza and lamenting that he deserved the award more than Barack Obama, who received it in 2009.

But despite Trump’s repeated public overtures, the Nobel Committee awarded this year’s prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, citing 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.”

While Trump himself did not immediately comment on the news, many of the president’s allies have voiced strong feelings about Trump losing out.

The White House quickly insisted that politics played a role in the committee’s final decision on the Nobel Peace Prize. “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,” White House spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in a statement.

Katie Miller, the former White House staffer and wife of deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, echoed that message on X:

POLITICS OVER PEACE https://t.co/pA0MAKrFYY

— Katie Miller (@KatieMiller) October 10, 2025

On Fox News Friday morning, Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump said the president deserved the Nobel Peace Prize “more than anyone alive on this planet right now.”

“No one deserves it more than President Trump. But we know these people who establish who wins the Nobel Peace Prize hate Donald Trump. They suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome. And in our hearts, he will be winning the Nobel Peace Prize. We know that for sure,” she said.

Richard Hudson, a congressman from North Carolina, took it further and more fantastical by sharing an AI-generated photo of himself handing the Nobel Prize to Trump:

Peace in the Middle East has eluded Presidents for DECADES.It’s a disgrace President Trump didn’t receive the Nobel Peace Prize for all he has done for peace in the region.Since the committee didn’t do it, I will! Thank you, President Trump. pic.twitter.com/j82hu80SND

— Rep. Richard Hudson (@RepRichHudson) October 10, 2025

Senator Mike Lee of Utah shared the Nobel committee’s announcement of Machado, writing, “Apparently the Nobel Peace Prize isn’t about delivering peace anymore. So what *is* it about?”

During an appearance on Newsmax, Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas floated the idea of a “lifetime achievement award” for Trump for all the work he’s done:

NEWSMAX: What do you think? Trump wins the Nobel Prize next year?SEN. ROGER MARSHALL: That’s the hope. Certainly he deserves it work the work he’s already done. Who knows – maybe he needs a lifetime achievement award.NEWSMAX: Maybe we need to create the Trump Peace Prize pic.twitter.com/wbDfe9N8LO

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 10, 2025

Far-right activist Laura Loomer denounced Machado’s win as “More affirmative action nonsense.”

“Imagine thinking a woman who cries nonstop about @NicolasMaduro has done more for the world than President Trump. What an absolute joke. Everyone knows President Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize,” she wrote.

But there was also a notable party split on the subject, at least in Florida, where several Republican members of Congress praised Machado’s win. Florida notably has one of the country’s largest Venezuelan populations.

“María Corina Machado is the world’s bravest freedom fighter. She has stood up to the murderous narcoterrorist Cartel de los Soles, she has defeated #Venezuela’s dictator Nicolas Maduro, & worked closely with President Trump’s Admin,” Representative Carlos Gimenez wrote in both English and Spanish on social media. “Well deserved!”

Senator Rick Scott said he was “proud” to call Machado a friend, calling her a “hero and freedom and democracy leader in Venezuela.” But Scott was sure to highlight Trump’s accomplishments in a separate post, writing “I hope the Committee will take this into consideration when selecting the next award winner—it should be @POTUS!”

Machado herself made reference to Trump in her statement on her win, saying that her movement counts on the president and the American people to be key allies in their struggle for freedom and democracy. “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” she wrote.

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