Topline
White House spokesman Steven Cheung lashed out at the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it passed over President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, despite the president’s years-long campaign for the award.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a meeting with Finland President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office at the the White House White House on October 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung alleged the “Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace” by awarding the prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado Friday, writing in a post on X “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.”
Trump has openly advocated for himself to win the award, and won endorsements from seven world leaders for the prize, according to the White House, though Trump predicted he wouldn’t win, writing on Truth Social in June: “I won’t get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do.”
Speculation surrounding Trump’s prospects for the award increased after Israel and Hamas announced last week they agreed to the first phase of Trump’s peace plan, though it’s widely believed the Nobel Prize winner was likely selected weeks ago.
After the deal was announced Thursday, Trump said “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.”
Trump received numerous nominations for the prize, including from Pakistan’s government and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though many of them came after the Feb. 1 deadline.
Crucial Quote
“She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarization of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy,” chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said of Machado in announcing her as the winner. Machado, a leader of Venezuela’s democracy movement, went into hiding last year when President Nicolás Maduro began a crackdown on dissent following fraud allegations in the 2024 presidential election.
Tangent
A total of 338 candidates—244 individuals and 94 organizations—were nominated for the prize. The committee, made up of five former Norweigan lawmakers, does not confirm names of the nominations until 50 years after the prize is awarded.
Key Background
Trump’s push for the prize dates back to his first term, and he has been nominated several times before, including in 2018, 2020 and 2021. In addition to Netanyahu and Pakistan’s government, several Republican lawmakers also nominated Trump this year, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y. Four U.S. presidents—Theodore Roosevelt (1906), Woodrow Wilson (1919), Jimmy Carter (2002) and Barack Obama (2009)—have received the award.
Further Reading
Could Trump Get A Nobel Peace Prize? Here’s What We Know As Now Netanyahu Nominates Him (Forbes)