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Which Nobel Peace Prize winner has spoken out against Donald Trump?

Checked on November 12, 2025
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Executive Summary

Two Nobel laureates appear in the reporting as having publicly criticized Donald Trump: former U.S. President Barack Obama, a 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is documented as having spoken out against Trump’s positions and conduct, and former UN official Mary Robinson is cited criticizing Trump on climate and Gaza-related issues. At the same time, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado publicly thanked or praised Trump for his support of Venezuelan democracy, and Trump has claimed a congratulatory phone call with Machado — a claim the reporting treats with caution (sources dated October 10–11, 2025) [1] [2] [3] [4].

1. How the question was framed — separating claims from confusion

The original question asks which Nobel Peace Prize winner “has spoken out against Donald Trump,” a formulation that invites a simple name but masks ambiguous reporting and overlapping laureate categories. Multiple analyses show commentary by different Nobel laureates, but some sources refer to Nobel Prize winners in other fields (economics) and to recent laureates whose comments were supportive rather than critical. The reporting cluster dated October 10–11, 2025 highlights a mix of direct criticism (from Barack Obama and Mary Robinson) and praise or gratitude toward Trump (from María Corina Machado), creating contradictory impressions in public discourse [1] [2] [3]. Clearing the category — Nobel Peace Prize winners only — narrows the list and removes the economists referenced elsewhere from consideration [5].

2. Confirmed critics among Nobel Peace Prize winners — Obama and Robinson

Reporting dated October 10, 2025 records Barack Obama — recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize — publicly criticizing Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the Nobel and his broader approach to peace and international affairs; Obama’s remarks are presented as direct critiques rather than second‑hand commentary [1]. In related reporting, Mary Robinson, a Nobel laureate known for climate work, is quoted labeling Trump a “bully” and “stupid” specifically over climate and Gaza issues, a direct denunciation that places her among Peace Prize–connected critics in the public record [2]. Both pieces appeared in the October 2025 reporting cycle and are clear instances of Nobel Peace Prize laureates speaking out against Trump, distinguishing them from commentary by laureates in other Nobel categories [1] [2].

3. A recent laureate who praised Trump — María Corina Machado’s contrasting stance

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, and multiple October 11, 2025 reports record her expressing gratitude toward President Trump for his support of Venezuelan democracy, with Machado dedicating part of her award recognition to his administration’s backing. The coverage notes Machado declined to criticize Trump and, according to Trump’s account, she also called him after the prize announcement — a claim treated cautiously by reporters because it relies in part on Trump’s statement [3] [6] [4]. This public praise by a newly minted Peace Prize laureate complicates any straightforward answer to which laureates have “spoken out against” Trump, because the most recent laureate adopted a supportive posture in the same reporting window [3] [4].

4. Why Nobel category matters — economists versus Peace laureates and why confusion spread

Several widely circulated pieces referenced groups of Nobel Prize winners criticizing Trump’s policies, but many of those critics are Nobel laureates in Economics, not Nobel Peace Prize winners. For example, the October 23, 2024 coverage of 23 Nobel Prize–winning economists publicly opposing Trump’s economic agenda involves laureates from a different Nobel discipline and therefore does not answer the question about Peace Prize winners [5]. The conflation of Nobel laureates across categories has led to public confusion, and some fact checks and opinion pieces in October 2025 explicitly clarified that criticisms from economists or commentators should not be conflated with statements from Nobel Peace Prize recipients [5] [6].

5. Bottom line and open questions for readers following the news

The authoritative bottom line is that Barack Obama and Mary Robinson — both linked to Nobel Peace recognition — have publicly criticized Donald Trump, whereas María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, expressed gratitude to Trump and did not criticize him in the cited coverage; Trump’s claim of a congratulatory call with Machado is reported but not independently substantiated in the same pieces [1] [2] [3] [4]. Readers should note the publication dates (October 10–11, 2025) and the distinction between Peace Prize laureates and Nobel laureates in other fields, because conflating categories produced much of the initial confusion in the reporting cycle [3] [5] [1]. Future clarifications may hinge on direct transcripts or statements from the individuals involved, especially concerning the alleged Trump‑Machado phone exchange [4].

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