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Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Callum Jones
The White House has issued a response after Donald Trump missed out on the Noble Peace Prize.
It was announced on Friday (October 10) that Venezuelan opposition leader and pro-democracy campaigner Maria Corina Machado had claimed the prestigious award this year.
Prior to the ceremony in Oslo, Norway, there had been talk Trump could have been the latest to win the title.
However, the president was unsuccessful, and the White House has now issued a statement.
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Steven Cheung, White House Director of Communications, said: "The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.
"President Trump will continue making peace deals around the world, ending wars, and saving lives. He 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."
While Trump believes he deserved the award, Asle Sveen, an author and historian of the Nobel Peace Prize, stated Trump had 'no chance to get the Peace Prize at all', ABC News reports.
Alfred Nobel's will, which is the award's foundation, says that the Peace Prize should be given to the person who has 'done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations'.
Nina Graeger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo, has claimed that Trump simply didn't fit that criteria.
Trump's name came up in discussion due to the man himself claiming he should be in the running.
During a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in February, the Republican president said: "They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize. I deserve it, but they will never give it to me."
The president has said on several occasions his influence has been key in stopping multiple wars across the world.
"I've done six wars, I've ended six wars," the 79-year-old said in August during a summit with Ukrainian and European leaders. "If you look at the six deals I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn't do any ceasefires."
When the Nobel Committee announced Machado as the 2025 prize winner, they referred to the importance of democracy.
It said: “Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence."
The committee added that 'Machado has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy'.