The White House has criticised the Norwegian Nobel Committee for overlooking U.S. President Donald Trump in this year’s Nobel Peace Prize selection, accusing it of allowing politics to outweigh peace.
The reaction followed Friday’s announcement that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado had been awarded the 2025 Peace Prize for what the committee described as her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
The decision drew swift backlash from Washington, where senior aides to Trump dismissed the committee as biased and politically motivated.
“The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” wrote White House communications director Steven Cheung on X.
“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,” he added.
Trump had openly expressed hope of winning the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in negotiating international ceasefires and most recently brokering a truce and hostage deal to halt the war in Gaza.
The Nobel Committee, however, stood by its decision, saying the prize recognises efforts that “advance democracy, human rights, and peace, even under threat.”
While Trump’s allies framed the decision as a political snub, diplomats in Oslo have downplayed concerns of a formal U.S. retaliation.
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