Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado publicly dedicated her Nobel Peace Price nomination to President Donald Trump for strengthening her country’s pro-democracy movement. Machado praised Trump’s “courage to confront the criminal regime” of President Nicolás Maduro. Remarks by the Venezuelan dissident on December 11 highlighted Trump’s lasting influence in one of the Western Hemisphere’s most entrenched authoritarian governments.
Maria Machado, long viewed as one of Nicolas Maduro regime’s most persistent critics, said Donald Trump’s maximum-pressure campaign “changed the trajectory” of the Venezuelan opposition at a time when many believed Maduro’s grip on power was simply unbreakable. Speaking to reporters, Machado said, “President Trump made a difference at the moment it mattered most. He confronted a criminal regime when others looked away, and he gave strength to millions of Venezuelans who refuse to give up on freedom.”
En 2012 Chávez dijo “águila no caza mosca” para humillar a una María Corina Machado que le reclamaba ante la AN.
En 2025 la mosca recibe el premio Nobel de La Paz y el águila es alimento de gusanos.
Que gran giro de trama! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TvbMSe3Pzy
— Sh. 🌈 🇻🇪 (@Sharonnnna) December 10, 2025
The Venezuelan dissident’s comments came one day after news broke of Machado’s nomination for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, citing her decades of activism, advocacy for democratic reforms, and refusal to flee the country despite threats, surveillance, and repeated attempts by the Nicolas Maduro administration to silence her.
Venezuelan state officials have barred María Corina Machado from running for office and accused her of inciting unrest. Donald Trump and other international observers describe Machado as a leading voice for political prisoners and families of the disappeared in Venezuela.
Machado’s decision to dedicate the Nobel prize nomination to Donald Trump underscored the former president’s unusually strong backing among Venezuelan dissidents. During his presidency, Trump imposed sweeping and significant sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president, applied diplomatic pressure, urged the Venezuelan military to abandon Maduro. The Donald Trump administration also coordinated a multinational crackdowns on regime-linked drug trafficking and corruption.
Maria Corina Machado’s praise for Donald Trump also touched on his history with Nobel Peace Prize nominations. Trump has been nominated multiple times by various international lawmakers and political groups for the Nobel prize. Trump’s nominations have included recognition for facilitating the historic Abraham Accords between Israel and several Arab states; initiating early Korean Peninsula de-escalation talks; brokering Serbia-Kosovo economic normalization; and supporting efforts to reduce Middle East conflict.
Donald Trump responded to Machado’s dedication in a video message, calling her “a warrior for freedom.” The president added, “The people of Venezuela deserve liberty, dignity, and a government that works for them. I will always stand with the Venezuelan people.”
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Made Sure Trump ‘Would Not Blow’ Her Up While She Traveled to Receive Award… as Prez Faces Backlash Over Attacks on Alleged Drug Boats https://t.co/1Ipps8AFHa pic.twitter.com/hD8tyMvctM
— Radar Online (@radar_online) December 12, 2025
Maria Corina Machado has long argued that Maduro’s government operates as a criminal enterprise enabled by Cuban security services, Russian financial assistance, and transnational networks tied to drug trafficking and illegal mining. International human rights groups have documented widespread abuses under Nicolas Maduro, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and censorship.
Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize nomination has intensified political debate in Venezuela, where opposition factions hope the international spotlight could bolster their organizing power. Critics inside the ruling party dismissed the nomination as foreign meddling, while state-run media outlets accused Machado of “colluding with imperial powers.”
More than seven million Venezuelans have fled the country over the past decade due to economic collapse, food shortages, and political persecution — one of the largest mass migration waves in modern history.
Diplomatic observers maintain Maria Corina Machado’s remarks show how deeply Donald Trump’s Venezuela policy still resonates across the region and how dissidents continue to view U.S. pressure as a critical lifeline. Whether her Nobel Peace Prize nomination will translate into renewed action against Nicolas Maduro remains unclear. But by linking Machado’s global recognition to Donald Trump, she signaled that the fight for Venezuela’s future is, in her view, inseparable from the U.S. president’s involvement.
