U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado had called him to say she was accepting the award in his honour, following earlier remarks from the White House accusing the Nobel Committee of choosing “politics over peace.”
The White House had criticised the committee’s decision to award the prize to the Venezuelan opposition leader rather than to Trump, who had campaigned strongly for the accolade and frequently highlighted his role in brokering international ceasefire agreements.
“President Trump will continue to make peace deals, end conflicts, and save lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains through sheer willpower,” White House spokesman Steven Cheung wrote on X.
“The Nobel Committee has shown once again that it values politics over peace,” he added.
Speaking later on Friday, Trump refrained from directly criticising the decision but claimed credit for resolving several conflicts, suggesting Machado might have handed him the award if he had asked.
“The person who actually received the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in your honour because you truly deserved it,’” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “It was a lovely gesture. I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ although I think she might have done so. She was very kind.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said the prize was awarded to Machado as one of the “courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist” authoritarian rule.
Trump had publicly sought the prize and, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire and hostage agreement aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza.
He has claimed credit for ending eight wars since taking office and insists he merits the peace prize, though he had recently acknowledged that he was unlikely to receive it.
“Will I get the Nobel Prize? Absolutely not. They’ll give it to someone who’s done nothing at all,” Trump reportedly told senior U.S. military officials last month, adding that it would be a “major insult” to the United States if he were overlooked.
Nominations for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize closed on 31 January. Trump returned to the White House for his second term on 20 January.
On Friday, he conceded that the committee’s decision effectively recognised achievements from 2024, when he was campaigning for re-election, but argued that his record on peace should have earned him the prize regardless.
“I was running for office in ’24,” he said. “But many people say we did so much that they should have given it to us anyway.”
Donald Trump said Monday that any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% U.S. tariff on all trade with the United States, with the measure t...
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement....
The UK government will introduce a new criminal offence this week targeting the creation of non-consensual intimate images, Technology Secretary Liz K...
The United Nations’ top court has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority....
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a senior White House official...
Donald Trump said Monday that any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% U.S. tariff on all trade with the United States, with the measure taking effect immediately.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
The UK government will introduce a new criminal offence this week targeting the creation of non-consensual intimate images, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced on Monday, amid growing concerns over AI-generated deepfakes.
The United Nations’ top court has begun hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
Timothée Chalamet won the Golden Globe for best male actor in a musical or comedy on Sunday for his role in Marty Supreme, beating strong competition in one of the night’s most closely watched categories.
Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano is showing increased activity, with lava flowing from two summit craters and flames, smoke and ash rising from the caldera.
Bob Weir, the rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, has died at the age of 78, his family has said.
Israel has sharply escalated its warnings to Lebanon amid rising regional tensions linked to Iran, according to a report by the Lebanese newspaper Nida Al Watan.
Finance ministers from the G7 and partner nations met in Washington on Monday to discuss a potential price floor for strategic rare-earth metals and ways to secure their supply. Representatives from Australia, Mexico, South Korea and India also attended the talks.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said allied nations are discussing “next steps” to ensure the security of the Arctic, citing concerns that Russia and China could become more active in the strategically important region.
Apple will use Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence models for its revamped Siri voice assistant later this year, in a multi-year deal that strengthens the tech giants’ partnership and boosts Alphabet’s position in the race against OpenAI.
Donald Trump said Monday that any country doing business with Iran will face a 25% U.S. tariff on all trade with the United States, with the measure taking effect immediately.
Real Madrid have parted ways with coach Xabi Alonso, appointing former defender Álvaro Arbeloa as his replacement.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment