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Donald Trump has previously raged at not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
08:42, Fri, Jan 16, 2026 Updated: 09:09, Fri, Jan 16, 2026
Donald Trump was given the Nobel Peace Prize award by a Nobel laureate (Image: Getty)
The Nobel Prize committee reacted with a pointed message to the news Venezuelan politician Maria Corina Machado gifted her her peace award to Donald Trump. During their meeting on Thursday, Venezuelan opposition leader presented the US president with her medal encased in a large frame.
She said the gesture was to recognise the US president's commitment to her country's freedom after former leader Nicolás Maduro was captured in Caracas and charged in a drug-trafficking case. However, the Nobel Peace Centre responded by stressing that Ms Machado remains the recipient of the honour, which "cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred" with anyone else.
The #NobelPeacePrize medal.
It measures 6.6 cm in diameter, weighs 196 grams and is struck in gold. On its face, a portrait of Alfred Nobel and on its reverse, three naked men holding around each other’s shoulders as a sign of brotherhood. A design unchanged for 120 years.
It wrote on X: "But one truth remains. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: '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."
This follows a message posted on the Nobel Peace Prize website on January 9, which sets out the "clear and well established" rules of the medal.
It states: "The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status.
"The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time."
Following Thursday's exchange, Mr Trump thanked Ms Machado for the "great honour", but stopped short of endorsing her for president.
He wrote on Truth Social: '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!"
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Ms Machado, leader of the Vente Venezuela party, called the gift "a sign of the brotherhood" between the two countries "in their fight for freedom against tyranny".
She added: "I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize... [It's] a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom... I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans."
English (US) · 