Trump Misses Nobel Peace Prize — White House Reacts

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House with a puckered expression after his address to Congress, in Washington, D.C., on February 28, 2017. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Washington, D.C.- October 10, 2025 – The White House unleashed a scathing attack on the Nobel Committee Friday, accusing it of political bias after President Donald Trump was passed over for the 2025 Peace Prize in favor of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. In a fiery statement from the Oval Office, Trump dismissed the decision as "rigged" and "a disgrace," echoing long-held grievances over the prestigious award he has coveted since his first term.

"The Nobel Committee is a joke—totally corrupt and out of touch," Trump declared during a press gaggle, flanked by aides. He quickly pivoted to his predecessor, slamming Barack Obama's 2009 win as undeserved: "Obama got it for doing nothing. Zero. And they give it to this woman? I ended wars, brokered peace in the

 Trump, who has been nominated six times since 2018 for efforts like North Korea summits and Middle East diplomacy, reiterated his belief that the prize is withheld due to "deep state" animosity.

The committee announced Machado as the laureate earlier Friday, praising her "courageous stand against authoritarianism" amid Venezuela's political turmoil, a nod to her 2023 presidential bid and exile following clashes with the Maduro regime.Trump, however, framed the choice as ironic validation of his own foreign policy, noting he spoke with Machado by phone post-announcement. "She called me today and said she's accepting this in honor of what we've done together against socialism," he claimed, alluding to U.S. sanctions on Caracas that his administration has intensified.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt amplified the outrage in a briefing, calling the omission "a slap in the face to global peace efforts led by President Trump." She cited the Abraham Accords—normalizing ties between Israel and four Arab nations—as "Nobel-worthy achievements ignored by elitists in Oslo." The administration's fury builds on pre-announcement jitters in Norway, where analysts warned of potential U.S. reprisals like tariffs or NATO funding demands if Trump was snubbed.

MAGA supporters erupted online, with Republicans decrying the decision as "robbed" and demanding congressional probes into the committee's "anti-Trump bias." Trump himself took to Truth Social, posting: "Thank you to President Putin!" alongside a clip of the Russian leader mocking the prize's "lost credibility"—a nod to his own 2024 nomination for Ukraine "mediation." During his 2024 campaign, Trump vowed to "end wars in 24 hours," positioning himself as the ultimate peacemaker.

The Nobel Foundation has not responded to the barbs, but past controversies—like Trump's 2018 nomination by a Norwegian lawmaker—highlight the prize's politicized aura. As Trump eyes legacy-building ahead of midterms, this latest snub only fuels his narrative of persecuted greatness.