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By Barney Henderson
Content Director
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María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday morning, beating U.S. President Donald Trump to the prestigious award.
Machado, an opposition leader in Venezuela, has campaigned tirelessly for democracy and is a central figure in the struggle against Nicolás Maduro’s government.
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Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee lauded Machado for being a "key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided—an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government."
“I am just one person…this is an achievement of a whole society.”
María Corina Machado joins a long line of Nobel Peace Prize laureates who were awakened in the middle of the night to learn that the Nobel Committee was just minutes away from announcing their award. pic.twitter.com/eg9f5zrvsg
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) October 10, 2025
"In the past year, Miss 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. When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist," he said.
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Trump's Nobel Campaign
Trump openly campaigned to be given the award this year, pointing to several global conflicts he has helped to end.
The speculation that he might win was amplified earlier this week after his peace plan for Gaza, bringing about a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas, was approved. The ceasefire came into effect at the same time as the Nobel announcement.
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Asked about lobbying for and by Trump, Frydnes said: "I think this committee has seen any type of campaign, media attention. We receive thousands and thousands of letters every year of people wanting to say what for them leads to peace.
"This committee sits in a room filled with the portraits of all laureates, and that room is filled with both courage and integrity. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel."
María Corina Machado: Venezuela's 'Iron Lady'
The 58-year-old, dubbed Venezuela’s "Iron Lady," is an industrial engineer by profession. She served as a National Assembly deputy from 2010 until her ouster in 2014.
Undeterred, Machado became a lightning rod for the opposition. She has been barred by state authorities from running for office, faced legal bans, and gone into hiding amid threats and repression.
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Maduro’s government intensified its campaign against dissent in the tense months before last year’s presidential election, targeting both real and imagined opponents in a sweeping crackdown on the opposition.
Machado had been poised to challenge him at the ballot box. But electoral authorities, aligned with the regime, disqualified her from running. In her place stood Edmundo González, a soft-spoken diplomat with no prior experience in electoral politics.
The run-up to the vote was marred by arrests, intimidation, and disqualifications that left little doubt about the government’s determination to retain power. When the National Electoral Council—dominated by Maduro loyalists—declared him the victor amid widespread allegations of fraud, protests erupted across Venezuela. Security forces responded with force, leaving more than twenty people dead.
The disputed results triggered diplomatic ruptures with several countries, including Argentina, and deepened the regime’s isolation abroad. Machado vanished from public view in January and is believed to be in hiding. Soon after, a Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for González, who fled to Spain, where he has since been granted asylum.
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