Steven Cheung: Nobel Committee chose ‘politics over peace’ with Trump snub

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung accused the Norwegian Nobel Committee of putting “politics over peace” early Friday after it awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. The committee said Machado was honored for her “courageous fight for democracy and peaceful transition in Venezuela.” In a social media post, Cheung argued that President Donald Trump’s record in mediating peace deals, including the Abraham Accords, had been disregarded.

Cheung’s post on X said, “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives,” adding that Trump “has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.” Trump had previously expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, pointing to his role in international ceasefire agreements and diplomatic negotiations during his presidency.

When asked about the Nobel on Friday evening, Trump told reporters that Machado had personally called to congratulate him. “The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called today, called me, and said, ‘I’m accepting this in honor of you, because you really deserved it,’” Trump said, describing it as “a very nice thing to do.”

Machado, a longtime critic of President Nicolas Maduro, dedicated her win “to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause,” according to her post on X. Her remarks linked Trump’s past backing of Venezuelan opposition movements to her own campaign for democratic reform.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it based its decision solely on Machado’s work to promote nonviolent democratic change in Venezuela. Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes told reporters the body receives “thousands and thousands of letters every year of people saying what, for them, leads to peace,” adding, “We base only our decision on the work and will of Alfred Nobel.” The decision marked the first time the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to a Venezuelan figure since its inception in 1901.

Trump’s strained relationship with international organizations may have influenced perceptions of his candidacy. Under his administration, the U.S. withdrew from the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accords, while Trump’s foreign policy drew criticism for his interest in acquiring Greenland from Denmark and for domestic clampdowns on protests and dissenting media. Should the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas reached last week lead to lasting stability and improved humanitarian conditions, it could strengthen the argument from Trump’s allies that his diplomatic strategies merit future recognition.