THE Nobel Committee issued a defiant statement that its prizes “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others” following Maria Corina Machado’s decision to gift hers to Donald Trump.
The president beamed as he accepted the prize from Machado during a presentation in the Oval Office on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition confirmed that she had given Trump her medal, which she won last year for her commitment to restoring democracy in Venezuela.
The move prompted a swift response from the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
It issued a lengthy post on social media stressing that while some prizes “have been passed one” after a laureate’s death, they cannot be gifted.
“A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” the committee wrote.
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That position was later reinforced in an official ruling published last week.
“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.”
This clarification appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“I presented the president of the United States, the media, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado said.
When questioned about her decision in an interview with Fox News, Machado said she did so “because he deserves it,” gladly sharing an “emotional moment” with the president.
Trump, for his part, embraced the gesture, taking to Truth Social to publicly thank her.
“It was my Great Honor to meet Maria Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” he wrote.
“Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”
This comes after Trump previously dismissed Machado’s credibility to lead her country.
According to his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, that view has not changed, even in the wake of what she described as a gracious gesture.
Trump did, however, acknowledge her as a “remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela.”
Despite these differences, Machado told supporters gathered outside the White House that Trump understood the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
She went on to claim he was committed to securing the release of political prisoners in the country.
Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, speculation had swirled over whether she would present Trump with the medal.
The president has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize in the past and previously voiced displeasure when it was awarded to Machado.
In an apparent effort to cosy up the White House boss, Machado initially offered to share the medal, a proposal the Norwegian Nobel Committee later rejected.
Machado has long sought Trump’s support, cultivating relationships with Republican lawmakers and praising his hard-line stance on Venezuela.
Her political party was widely believed to have won the country’s 2024 election before then-President Nicolás Maduro rejected the result.
The deposed dictator was forcibly removed from office in an audacious military raid.
In the early hours of January 3, the US launched a large-scale military operation that included strikes on Caracas.
Special Forces reportedly captured Maduro and his wife, quickly transporting them out of the country and flying them to New York to face federal charges.
The Trump administration justified the operation by citing longstanding drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism.
Venezuelan officials denounced the raid as an illegal kidnapping and violation of sovereignty amid international controversy.
In the weeks that followed, Trump refrained from endorsing Machado, choosing to communicate with Venezuela’s acting head of state Delcy Rodríguez instead.
Rodríguez was Maduro’s former vice-president.
The US has not given a timeline for when the Venezuelan people can expect official elections.
However, Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution.
His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
