‘I Saved Millions Of Lives,’ Trump Reacts To Nobel Prize Winner, Says She Accepted Prize ‘In His Honour’
US President Donald Trump has stirred headlines again, asserting that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado accepted her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize “in his honor,” claiming he had been “helping her along the way.”
Speaking at a briefing on Saturday, Trump described a phone call from Machado, saying, “So the person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you because you really deserved it.’ A very nice thing to do. I didn’t say, ‘then give it to me,’ though.”
Trump added that Machado “was very nice” and reiterated his involvement, stating, “I’ve been helping her along the way. They need a lot of help in Venezuela. It’s a basic disaster.”
He also reflected on his record, tying the prize to his broader claims about global peace: “You could also say it was given out for 24, and I was running for office in 24. You know, all of the transactions that we did in terms of closing. But there are those that say we did so much that they should have done it. I’m happy because I saved millions of lives, many millions of lives.”
Trump’s remarks meandered from diplomacy to sports when he praised golfer Keegan Bradley, captain of the Ryder Cup, for his recent performance, illustrating the informal tone of the briefing.
Machado Recognized for Venezuelan Democracy Efforts
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado in recognition of her efforts to promote democratic rights and foster a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy. The Nobel Committee highlighted 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.”
Trump’s Ongoing Quest for the Nobel
Trump has long campaigned for the prize, branding himself the “president of peace” and claiming to have “ended six or seven wars.” In September, he told UN delegates that his “peace record” was unmatched, citing conflicts involving Israel and Iran, India and Pakistan, and even Thailand and Cambodia.
Despite his repeated claims, Machado’s win is widely seen as a personal setback for Trump, who has publicly stated he “should have gotten [the prize] four or five times” and that “everyone says” he deserves it. It also represents a diplomatic disappointment for Pakistan, which had formally nominated Trump, portraying him as a “champion of peace.”
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