WASHINGTON/CARACAS, Friday, October 10, 2025 (WNP): U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Friday claimed that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, personally called him to express gratitude and dedicate the honor to him for his support of Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement.

“The person who got the Nobel Prize called me today and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honour of you because you really deserved it,’” Trump told reporters. “I didn’t say, ‘Give it to me,’ though I think she might have. I’ve been helping her along the way… I’m happy because I saved millions of lives.”

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader, for her tireless efforts to promote democratic rights and her courageous struggle for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.

Trump, who has long emphasized his record in advancing global peace, has previously argued that his administration’s diplomatic efforts — including normalization initiatives in the Middle East — warranted recognition from the Nobel Committee.

While there was initially no independent confirmation of Machado’s reported phone call, the Venezuelan leader later released a statement from Caracas, dedicating the award to “the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support” of her nation’s democratic struggle.

“This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom,” Machado said. “We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Machado’s leadership in uniting Venezuela’s fractured opposition and her steadfast advocacy for free elections under extreme repression.

Her acknowledgment of Trump’s role highlights the strengthening of international alliances backing Venezuela’s democratic movement — a campaign now seen as emblematic of the global defense of freedom against authoritarianism.