Nobel Peace Prize committee explain why Donald Trump didn't win despite him saying 'he deserved it'

The Nobel Peace Prize committee has revealed why Donald Trump missed out on this year's award.

Trump has made it abundantly clear that he feels like he 'deserves' the prize on several occasions, and all eyes were on today's official announcement following the news of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which the US President was heavily involved in.

The award instead went to María Corina Machado of Venezuela, the Venezuelan opposition leader who disappeared and went into hiding in August 2024, following elections in the preceding month.

She has been honoured for her contributions to promoting democracy in the South American country, which has been described as a dictatorship by some under current leader Nicolás Maduro.

The chairman of the Nobel Prize committee has now commented on why Trump didn't walk away with the award, when asked by the press.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the Nobel Peace Committee's chairman, was asked about the pressure from the US President and some in the international community to give the award to the 79-year-old, and if the pressure affected their decision at all.

He replied, noting that 'in the long history' of awarding the prize, the committee has experienced all types of 'media tension', even receiving thousands of letters each year from those who explain 'what for them leads to peace'.

Frydnes simply stated: "We base our decision only on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel" – the Swedish chemist after whom the award is named.

Writing on their social media pages, the Nobel Prize team explained Machado's win, saying: "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.

"Maria Corina Machado – awarded the 2025 #NobelPeacePrize – has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people. The Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation. In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair."

They added: "In the past year, #NobelPeacePrize laureate Maria Corina Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.

"When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended – with words, with courage and with determination."

Following the announcement of the prestigious accolade, the committee stated: "She is receiving the Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela, and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

The award is traditionally given 'for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses' in a given year.

It is one of the most prestigious honours anyone can be given.

There were 338 candidates for the award this year, between 244 people and 94 organisations.

Trump won't be best pleased, especially after claiming he 'would have had the Nobel Prize given to me in 10 seconds' if he'd been Barack Obama.