President Trump failed in his bid to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with the Norwegian Nobel committee announcing Friday that María Corina Machado was given this year’s award for promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.

Frydnes, announcing the winner on Friday morning, said Machado represented the true spirit of the Nobel prize, as a unifying figure, determined in her commitment to peaceful protection of democracy at a time when it is under threat acutely in Venezuela but also around the world.

“As the leader of the Democratic Forces in Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America,” Frydnes said.

“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.”

Trump’s bid for the award was always going to be a long shot, with the deadline for nominations on February 1, just weeks into his second term. This was before he made major moves to settle what he describes as seven wars in seven months, though some remain largely unresolved.

And many of Trump’s most public nominations for the award came after the deadline. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) submitted a nomination in December recognizing the president’s 2020 deal forging ties between Israel and two Gulf countries, called the Abraham Accords.

Still, the decision is sure to mark an added grievance for Trump, who has long criticized the organization for initially overlooking the Abraham Accords in its considerations. The 2021 prize, which the Abraham Accords would have been eligible for, went to two journalists promoting free speech under oppressive regimes in the Philippines and Russia.

And Friday’s ceremony came........

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