It was Nobel day again. The announcement came and went without Donald Trump‘s name being called, just like every year since he started saying he deserved it. The two-time president watched from Florida as Venezuela’s María Corina Machado received the 2025 Peace Prize instead. She has been in hiding for months due to threats against her life. The Nobel committee cited her “tireless work promoting the democratic rights” in Venezuela. It felt like a quiet message: courage matters more than campaigning. On the other hand, Donald Trump’s been telling crowds for years he should’ve won “four or five times.”
Trump is not pleased, but the Nobel committee rarely encourages nominees to promote themselves. Officials confirmed that nominations for this year’s prize closed on January 31st. Donald Trump had barely unpacked in the Oval Office for the second time by then. That timing alone made him a long shot for next year’s prize, even as his Middle East peace proposal started making headlines. The temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas (what Trump calls the “first step” in his 20-point peace plan) only just took hold a day ago.
Nobel watchers point out the committee looks for lasting results, not sudden announcements.
“The Nobel Peace Prize is the result of months of research and deliberation,” historian Theo Zenou told The Independent. “They would not change their decision at the last minute based on a deal that is very much still in the offing.” So it’s not that Donald Trump’s efforts went unnoticed. The committee simply needs proof that the agreement will even hold!
SO, DO YOU FEEL INSULTED?
Donald Trump recently said it would be an insult to our country if he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Well, he didn’t win.
Instead the award was given to Maria Corina Machado for her promoting democratic rights in Venezuela,
Your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/NPRXrrWNiU
— Lovable Liberal and his Old English sheepdog (@DougWahl1) October 10, 2025
Publicly lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize rarely works out well. Alfred Nobel never specifically banned it in his rules, but the selection committee clearly dislikes it when nominees seem too eager. “Trump’s overt campaigning for the prize probably irked the committee,” analyst Zenou explained. “They value their independence.” Political scholar Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton put it bluntly: “They didn’t want to give it to Trump because he has lobbied so hard for it.” Clearly, the committee prefers quiet candidates over loud seekers.
The optics haven’t been great, as Donald Trump’s international allies, including Netanyahu and Zelensky, have turned the Nobel Peace Prize race into a diplomatic guessing game. Zelensky quipped that if the U.S. sent Kyiv Tomahawk missiles, he would endorse Trump’s nomination. During the Gaza peace talks, Netanyahu allegedly handed Trump an envelope with a nomination. The gesture felt like handing homework to the teacher. By giving the prize to Machado, the Nobel committee avoided controversy while making its stance clear.
As Zenou put it,
“Machado is a very uncontroversial pick. The [Nobel] committee is reaffirming its commitment to democracy. They intend this to send a signal to authoritarians and wannabe authoritarians around the world.”
Yet it could have been a tactical call. Mokhefi-Ashton went further to refer to it as a “smart move.” The Nobel committee may seem unbiased and diplomatic because Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Machado’s cause. Could Trump still have his moment? Yes, but hashtags and applause are not enough. The real question is whether his Gaza peace deal will lead to lasting stability.
NEXT UP: Donald Trump’s Last-Minute Attempts Couldn’t Save His Nobel Prize Dreams from Going Up in Smoke
