US President Donald Trump was presented with the Nobel Peace Prize medal by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado during a meeting at the White House on Thursday, January 15.
Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She said she made the gesture to Trump's as "a recognition for his unique commitment with (Venezuela's) freedom".
Read more: Venezuela’s Machado says she ‘presented’ her Nobel prize medal to Trump
Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post that he has accepted the Noble Prize from her, despite the Noble committee saying earlier in a statement that the prize cannot be “revoked, shared, or transferred to others.”
“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!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Machado insisted, and Trump accepted
Machado travelled to Washington to meet Trump and members of the US Congress. After the capture of Maduro, Trump seemed to sideline her, allowing Delcy Rodriguez to become the interim president after Maduro's capture.
{{/usCountry}}Machado travelled to Washington to meet Trump and members of the US Congress. After the capture of Maduro, Trump seemed to sideline her, allowing Delcy Rodriguez to become the interim president after Maduro's capture.
{{/usCountry}}Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters on Thursday that the decision to let Rodriguez, a top Maduro ally to continue was based on the Trump's assessment of “realities on the ground.” The meeting with Machado will not change that, as of now, she said.
“It was a realistic assessment based on what the president was reading and hearing from his national security team,” Leavitt said. "At this moment in time his opinion on that matter has not changed.”
The transfer of Machado's Nobel Prize to Trump is an “apparent attempt” to win back Trump's support, according to The Guardian.
Fox News reported that Machado “insisted that she give the Nobel to the president." The White House officials said that Trump then accepted the Nobel.
Read more: Why Venezuela's Maria Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal
Can the Nobel be transferred?
After Machado told Fox News that she wanted to "share" the Nobel Peace Prize with Trump, the prize's organizers declared earlier this week that it could not be "shared or transferred." They declared, "The decision is final and stands for all time."
They wrote on X, “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”