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Trump ‘accepts’ Nobel Nobel Peace Prize from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado. Can the honour be transferred?
Donald Trump even called Maria Corina Machado a “wonderful woman” for the gesture, just days after saying he doubted she could lead Venezuela.
A smiling Donald Trump on Thursday “accepted” the Nobel Peace Prize presented to him by Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who had won it last year.
A White House official confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal, Reuters reported.
The US President even called Machado a “wonderful woman” for the gesture, just days after saying he doubted she could lead Venezuela and backing Nicolas Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, as the interim leader in Caracas.
The question that is worth a million dollars right now is whether Machado's award to Trump means anything beyond a symbolic gesture. The Nobel Institute answered the question in detail on Sunday.
Can the Nobel Peace Prize be transferred?
The Norwegian Nobel Institute reiterated in a statement that the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked.
The statement came on Sunday, when Maria Corina Machado suggested she might give her 2025 award to Trump, which she followed through on Thursday.
In a statement, the institute said the decision to award a Nobel Prize is final and permanent, citing the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, which do not allow appeals. It also noted that Nobel Committees do not comment on the actions or statements of laureates after receiving the award, underscoring that “once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others.
"Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said.
What Donald Trump said after Maria Corina Machado presented her with the Nobel Peace Prize
Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Maria Corina Machado after the Venezuelan opposition leader “presented” the Republican leader with her Nobel Peace Prize during the duo’s meeting at the White House.
Trump confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him to keep, and he said it was an honour to meet her.
“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!” Trump said in his post on Truth Social.
The Venezuelan opposition leader had announced while leaving the White House that she had handed over the medal to Trump "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters.
