Machado Presents Nobel Peace Prize To Trump: Can Laureates Give Away The Title?

International

oi-Prakash KL

Updated: Friday, January 16, 2026, 12:53 [IST]

Venezuelan
opposition
leader
María
Corina
Machado
made
headlines
after
presenting
her
Nobel
Peace
Prize
medal
to
US
President
Donald
Trump
during
a
meeting
in
the
Oval
Office.
The
encounter,
held
on
Thursday,
came
just
days
after
the
United
States
launched
a
military
strike
in
Venezuela
that
resulted
in
the
capture
of
Nicolás
Maduro,
the
country’s
embattled
leader.

Trump
described
the
exchange
as
“a
wonderful
gesture
of
mutual
respect.” On
his
Truth
Social
account,
he
wrote:
“It
was
my
great
honour
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!”

Photographs
released
online
show
Machado
standing
beside
Trump
in
the
Oval
Office,
while
the
President
holds
a
framed
Nobel
Peace
Prize
medal
inscribed
with
the
caption:
“The
2025
Nobel
Peace
Prize
Medal
awarded
to
María
Corina
Machado.”

A
message
accompanying
the
medal
praised
Trump’s
leadership:
“To
President
Donald
J.
Trump
–
In
gratitude
for
your
extraordinary
leadership
in
promoting
peace
through
strength,
advancing
diplomacy
and
defending
liberty
and
prosperity.
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.”

Machado
later
told
reporters
that
she
had
given
the
medal
“as
recognition
for
his
unique
commitment
with
our
freedom.”

Trump’s
Longstanding
Desire
for
the
Nobel

The
Nobel
Peace
Prize
has
long
been
a
coveted
honour
for
Trump,
who
has
often
argued
that
his
record
of
ending
conflicts
should
earn
him
the
award.
He
has
claimed
credit
for
halting
eight
wars,
including
the
brief
conflict
between
India
and
Pakistan
in
May
2025,
during
the
first
year
of
his
second
term.

Trump
has
frequently
contrasted
his
efforts
with
former
President
Barack
Obama,
who
received
the
Nobel
Peace
Prize
in
2009,
only
months
into
his
presidency.

Can
a
Nobel
Prize
Be
Transferred?

Machado’s
decision
reignited
debate
over
whether
Nobel
Prizes
can
be
shared,
revoked,
or
transferred.
The
Norwegian
Nobel
Committee
quickly
clarified
its
position.
In
a
statement,
the
Nobel
Peace
Center
wrote:
“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
medal
can
change
owners,
but
the
title
of
a
Nobel
Peace
Prize
laureate
cannot.”

The
Committee
emphasized
that
its
mandate
ends
once
the
prize
is
awarded.
Laureates’ later
actions,
while
closely
observed,
do
not
affect
the
permanence
of
the
award.

Historical
Precedent:
Hemingway’s
Gift

Machado
is
not
the
first
laureate
to
part
with
her
medal.
In
1954,
American
author
Ernest
Hemingway,
awarded
the
Nobel
Prize
in
Literature
for
The
Old
Man
and
the
Sea,
donated
his
medal
and
diploma
to
the
people
of
Cuba.
He
entrusted
them
to
the
Catholic
Church
at
El
Cobre,
declaring:
“This
award
belongs
to
the
people
of
Cuba,
because
my
works
were
created
and
conceived
in
Cuba,
in
my
village
of
Cojímar,
of
which
I
am
a
citizen.”

Though
the
medal
was
stolen
and
later
recovered
in
1986,
only
the
diploma
remains
on
public
display
today.

Machado’s
symbolic
handover
of
her
Nobel
Peace
Prize
medal
to
Trump
underscores
the
complex
interplay
of
politics,
gratitude,
and
symbolism.
While
the
Nobel
Committee
insists
that
laureate
status
is
non‑transferable,
the
act
itself
carries
weight
as
a
personal
tribute.
For
Trump,
who
has
long
sought
recognition
from
the
Nobel
establishment,
the
gift
represents
a
powerful
endorsement
from
a
leader
who
credits
him
with
helping
secure
Venezuela’s
freedom.