Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to both the people of Venezuela and United States President Donald Trump, acknowledging what she described as his “decisive support” for her country’s long struggle toward democracy.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the Nobel Committee’s announcement on Friday, Machado wrote, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause! We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy.”
Her message, which quickly went viral, drew reactions across the political spectrum both in Venezuela and abroad.
The White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, also amplified the post, sharing Machado’s message from her official X account — a gesture that signalled the administration’s endorsement of the Venezuelan opposition’s democratic push.
Several leading Venezuelan figures hailed Machado’s Nobel win as a historic moment for the country’s pro-democracy movement. Former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, a longtime opposition figure, congratulated her in a statement on X, saying, “May this recognition be another boost to achieve peace and for our Venezuela to leave behind the suffering and recover the freedom and democracy for which it has fought for so many years.”
Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize marks a significant milestone in her decades-long campaign against authoritarian rule in Venezuela. The award also comes amid renewed international pressure on the government in Caracas to hold free and fair elections, following years of political and economic turmoil.
