Washington, Jan 16: Winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Maria Corina Machado, has presented her coveted award to US President Donald Trump.
After getting the award on January 15 night, President Trump said in a social media post ‘’It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!’’
The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute have issued official statements clarifying that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked once it has been awarded.
The Nobel Committee responded to reports that María Corina Machado had intended to gift her medal to Donald Trump during their White House meeting on January 15, 2026, said “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time”.
A spokesperson for the Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified that while the physical medal can change hands (as a personal gift), the official title of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate remains permanently with the original recipient.
The committee noted that the award itself is fixed.
Machado “presented” her gold Nobel medal to President Trump during a private White House meeting. She framed the gesture as an act of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people for his role in the removal of Nicolás Maduro earlier that month.
Machado put the award in a proper frame with a signed note which said ‘’To Donald J Trump in gratitude
‘’for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy and defending liberty and prosperity.’’
She said the award was presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action to secure a free Venezuela.’’
Trump, who has long expressed interest in the award, called it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect” and confirmed he intends to keep the physical medal. Despite this symbolic exchange, the Nobel Committee emphasized that Trump is not officially recognized as a Nobel laureate.
The Nobel Committee, while announcing the award for Machado in October 2015, had said they had decided to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado for her ‘’tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’’