A letter signed by Donald Trump’s close allies, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Florida Republican leaders Rick Scott, nominating Maria Corina Machado for the Nobel Peace Prize, surfaced the day the prize was announced and Trump lost despite pushing hard on the Gaza Peace Plan. The letter was dated August 26, 2024, long before the election that elected Trump as the president but now the letter could cause enough embarrassment for Trump’s most-trusted aide Marco Rubio.One passage of the letter, held in the archives of Senator Scott, reads, “María Corina Machado’s peaceful resistance to tyrants and her ability to organize and lead a non‑violent movement for democracy and human rights is exemplary.” The letter also states, “We hope that the Nobel Committee will recognize Venezuelan María Corina Machado’s remarkable contributions and grant her the distinction she so rightly deserves.” Rubio was a senator representing Florida at the time.National security expert Marcy Wheeler posted on Bluesky that Secretary of State Marco Rubio may face awkwardness due to his endorsement of a letter urging the committee to award Machado the peace prize.“Gonna be an awkward day for Secretary of State-National Security Advisor-Acting Archivist Marco Rubio,” Wheeler wrote.
Marco Rubio’s 2024 letter endorsing Machado for Nobel Peace Prize
Rick Scott, Marco Rubio signed the letter among others.
Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said on X, “President Trump will continue making peace deals, 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. The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”Though Trump lost the prize, Machado dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to the people of Venezuela, and US President Donald Trump, for his “decisive support” for her country’s pro-democracy movement. “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!” she wrote on X.“We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” she added.
