Donald Trump, who has long eyed the Nobel Peace Prize, got a symbolic taste of it on Thursday, as Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado “presented” her Nobel medal to the former president during a White House meeting. The Nobel Committee, however, quickly reminded that the award itself cannot be transferred.
According to Reuters, a White House representative later verified that Trump plans to retain the medal. Machado did not clarify the medal's status right after the meeting. Trump has earlier expressed significant disappointment about not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Later on Thursday, Trump responded to the gesture on social media, writing: “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”
Machado described the gesture as symbolic, comparing it to historical acts from the Americas’ independence era. She cited Marquis de Lafayette, who helped the US gain independence and later gave a medal of George Washington to Simon Bolivar. She said, “Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal — in this case, the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
However The Norwegian Nobel Committee, has clarified that the honour itself is non-transferable. The Nobel Committee emphasized that the Peace Prize “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” noting that the recipient’s name “stands for all time,” even if the physical medal changes hands, in an earlier post on X. When Machado received the award last month, Trump reacted dismissively, asserting that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.
Earlier this month, former President Trump ordered a large‑scale military strike in Venezuela that culminated in the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro. Washington and a number of other governments had long challenged Maduro’s legitimacy after elections widely criticised for alleged irregularities. Although Trump initially endorsed opposition claims of victory, he later expressed doubts about María Corina Machado’s ability to lead, saying she lacked the “respect” necessary to govern.
Machado described her meeting with Trump positively: “We are counting on President Trump for freedom in Venezuela,” she said, adding, “President Trump knows the situation in Venezuela; he cares about how the people of Venezuela are suffering.” She told him Venezuelans “want to live with freedom, with dignity, with justice… and for that to happen, there has to be democracy in Venezuela.” Trump had earlier stated he would collaborate with Delcy Rodriguez if the US requirements, such as advantages for American oil companies, were not fulfilled.
