The Nobel Peace Center recently issued a rare statement following an unusual gesture by Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado. She took the bold step of handing over her Nobel Peace Prize medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump, after he had openly claimed that he deserved the prestigious award.
María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 in recognition of her tireless efforts to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela. Earlier this month, she visited Trump at the White House to commend him for his actions, which she claimed had been instrumental in challenging and eventually defeating authoritarian tendencies in her nation. At this meeting, she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, declaring that his unwavering commitment to freedom made him deserving of the honor.
During this event, photographs captured Trump holding the medal in the iconic Oval Office. Machado later confirmed that she had officially presented him with the award as a mark of her deepest respect. Trump, in turn, described the moment as a great personal honor, praising Machado for her bravery and her steadfast dedication to democratic principles.
Despite the high-profile exchange, the Nobel Peace Center deemed it necessary to clarify a critical point: though a Nobel Peace Prize medal can change hands physically, the title of a Nobel laureate is non-transferable. The Center highlighted that once the Nobel Committee selects a laureate, that decision stands permanently and cannot be retracted, shared, or reassigned, no matter who currently holds the medal itself.
This particular type of situation does have precedents, as noted by the Nobel Peace Center. Over the years, various Nobel Peace Prize medals have been given away or sold, whether for charitable reasons or symbolic acts. Nonetheless, the title of laureate invariably remains with the original awardee, unaltered.
Machado has previously expressed her intent, stating she “dedicated” her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump because she believed his actions marked a pivotal movement for fairness, liberty, and human dignity, not only in Venezuela but worldwide.
The Nobel Committee reaffirmed that notwithstanding this symbolic gesture, the Nobel Peace Prize is by all legal and official means inseparably linked to the individual who was initially honored with it and remains so indefinitely.
