Trump Accepts ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ Medal From Machado; Nobel Committee Says Prize Non-Transferable

Washington, Jan 16: US President Donald Trump on Thursday accepted a Nobel Peace Prize medal presented to him by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado during a meeting at the White House, a highly unusual gesture that prompted a swift clarification from the Norwegian Nobel Committee that the prize cannot be transferred or shared.

Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a leading figure of Venezuela’s opposition, said she presented the medal to Trump as recognition of his “unique commitment to our freedom.” Trump praised the move, calling it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” and described Machado as “a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” in a post on his Truth Social platform. A White House official later confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal.

However, the Nobel Committee underlined that Trump is not a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” the committee said, adding that while a medal can change hands, the title of laureate cannot.

The gesture comes amid uncertainty over US support for Machado’s challenge to Venezuela’s ruling establishment. Though long regarded as the democratic leader-in-waiting, Machado has been effectively sidelined after Trump recently declined to back her bid for power following the ouster of long-time leader Nicolás Maduro and signalled openness to working with acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

After the closed-door meeting, Machado told reporters she could “count on President Trump,” without giving specifics. She later greeted supporters outside the White House, where some briefly chanted slogans in Trump’s favour.

Machado had remained out of public view for months and spent nearly a year in hiding before travelling to Norway, where her daughter received the Nobel Prize on her behalf. The symbolic handover of the medal, while dramatic, appears to have little legal or political effect, with the Nobel authorities making clear that the honour remains solely hers. (Agencies)