What would you call a political activist who went head-to-head with a bloodthirsty, communist leader, suspected of killing tens of thousands of people and viciously silenced opposition? How would you describe a woman who stood up to a corrupt, brutal dictator who stole a country’s presidential election and arrested citizens of his country who protested?

In Venezuela, such a person is called Maria Corina Machado. Before today, she was described as a freedom-fighting opposition leader, challenging the vicious left-wing dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. However, today you can call her a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and deservedly so. This will surely disappoint, or even outright anger, many hoping that President Donald Trump would be named this year’s Nobel Peace Prize recipient. However, Machado being named this year’s winner should not be considered a slight.

First, it should be noted that the deadline for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize nominees was on Feb. 1, 2025. That was 12 days into the beginning of Trump’s second term. Many people have rightfully highlighted Trump’s plethora of global diplomatic successes in his second term. He has helped end multiple conflicts around the world, including Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Rwanda and the Congo, Israel and Iran, and, of course, Israel and Hamas. 

Those are monumental and groundbreaking achievements. However, they occurred within his first year, not his first 12 days, and, unless there are rules to the process that the public is not aware of, these fantastic achievements don’t really play into consideration for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize evaluation.

Next, I would argue that people who are quick to denounce Machado winning the award are not familiar with her efforts in resisting the left-wing, communist government of Nicolas Maduro. If they were, they might be more receptive to her win. One can objectively realize that Machado is a worthy recipient without disparaging her or dismissing her efforts because Trump was not declared the winner in 2025. 

She endured relentless aggression and hostility from Maduro’s regime, which embarked on a countrywide hunt to suppress her voice and her supporters who organized peaceful protests throughout Venezuela. She was forced to go into hiding, holding meetings and interviews from undisclosed locations so Maduro’s ruffians couldn’t find her.  

Machado tirelessly worked to fight Maduro’s theft of her country’s 2024 presidential election, in which every poll, election data, and analytical information had Maduro losing the election by a significant amount, only for him to use his bureaucratic allies to collect his country’s ballots and declare that Maduro was the winner “by a slight margin.” She organized protests, led rallies, facilitated opposition movements, and pushed for fair and free democratic elections in Venezuela. She isn’t some globalist stooge. She is unquestionably worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, regardless of Trump’s successful diplomacy.

VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO AWARDED NOBEL PEACE PRIZE OVER TRUMP

Machado’s opposition party claimed it had proof that Maduro lost, stating they had obtained over 70% of Venezuela’s tally election sheets, which showed he lost to Democratic Unitary Platform candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. The Associated Press corroborated this information. Yet, Maduro dismissed these, pointing to Venezuela’s governing body in charge of elections, a strong Maduro ally, which declared him the “winner.” Machado condemned Maduro’s actions, called him a fraud, and led Venezuela in protesting for months, regularly endangering her own life for her country’s people.

Machado’s story is worthy of praise and recognition. Trump should even do so himself. She risked much to help her people and achieve peace while combating tyrannical left-wing oppression from a merciless and unforgiving national leader. Trump did much to achieve geopolitical peace in 2025, and his day should rightly come as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

However, today should not be that day. Machado’s win should be celebrated, not belittled.

, 2025-10-10 16:22:00, , Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Christopher Tremoglie