❓WHAT HAPPENED: María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote democratic rights in her country.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: María Corina Machado, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, President Donald J. Trump, and the Nobel Committee.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on October 10, 2025, in Norway.
💬KEY QUOTE: “We have risked everything — our families, our lives, everything. The people of Venezuela have desperately asked for real, strong support. Finally, it’s reaching us.” – María Corina Machado
🎯IMPACT: The award highlights the ongoing struggle for democracy in Venezuela and the international support for efforts to counter Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader in Venezuela, received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 10 for her efforts in promoting democratic rights in her country. The Nobel Committee recognized her continued fight against Nicolás Maduro‘s regime, which has been accused of human rights abuses, including allegations of torture and killings. After winning the peace prize, Machado stated: “We have risked everything—our families, our lives, everything. The people of Venezuela have desperately asked for real, strong support. Finally, it’s reaching us.”
Machado, who has been in hiding due to Maduro’s crackdown on opposition leaders, is also an outspoken supporter of U.S. President Donald J. Trump—himself a Nobel finalist. She has called Trump a “visionary” and the “biggest opportunity we’ve ever had” for ending Maduro’s dictatorial rule over Venezuela. Machado supported Trump’s decision to revoke licenses for energy companies operating in Venezuela, claiming it weakened Maduro’s regime, which she accused of profiting from illicit activities such as drug trafficking and smuggling. Machado has urged the U.S. to increase pressure on Maduro, asserting that his government is nearing collapse.
The Trump administration, which has brokered a number of peace deals in recent months, most recently the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, regards the President being overlooked as political, saying, “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives.”
“He 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. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” the White House added.
Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela escalated in recent months. The U.S. military, under the orders of President Trump, has begun conducting strikes against Venezuelan drug cartel smuggling boats in the Caribbean. Notably, Senate Democrats—along with Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)—attempted to curtail the strikes by invoking the War Powers Act earlier this week, but that measure failed. Additionally, the U.S. has shifted deployment of a significant number of air and sea military assets to the Caribbean and South American coast, a potential prelude to a larger operation aimed at removing Maduro from power.
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