Machado Says She 'Presented' Her 2025 Nobel Medal To Trump — Nobel Committee Says Prize Can't Be Transferred

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters after a White House meeting that she had "presented" President Donald Trump with her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal as "a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom." Hours later, Trump confirmed the exchange on social media, thanking Machado for the gesture.

What Was Said

When a reporter asked Machado, "Is it his now?" she did not directly answer. Trump posted on social media: "María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!" It remains unclear whether Trump physically took possession of Machado's medal.

Nobel Committee Clarifies Rule

The Norwegian Nobel Committee reiterated that a Nobel Prize "can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others." In a Jan. 10 statement the committee said, "Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time." That means Machado remains the official 2025 Peace Prize laureate regardless of who holds her medal.

Symbolism — And Strategy

Machado described the presentation as a symbolic gesture, comparing it to Revolutionary War Gen. the Marquis de Lafayette gifting a medal bearing George Washington's likeness to Venezuelan independence leader Simón Bolívar two centuries ago. Observers have also noted potential political motives: U.S. reporting suggests her acceptance of the Nobel may have complicated her rapport with Trump.

Political Fallout In Venezuela

According to reporting by the Washington Post, two sources close to the White House said the president's reluctance to promote Machado stemmed in part from her acceptance of the Nobel. One source suggested that if Machado had refused the prize on Trump's behalf, it might have improved her standing with the president.

After Maduro's ouster earlier this month, Trump publicly downplayed Machado's prospects to lead Venezuela, saying she "doesn't have the support within, or the respect within the country." Instead, he indicated support for leaving Nicolás Maduro's vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, and the existing regime in place — a decision at odds with independently verified vote counts from Venezuela's 2024 presidential election that showed Machado's party defeating Maduro by a wide margin.

Trump's Peace Claims And Public Reaction

Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering peace in multiple conflicts, at one point asserting he had "stopp[ed] seven wars" and later claiming he had ended eight. A White House official provided CBS News a list of conflicts the administration said Trump helped resolve. However, a CBS News review found that while the president helped broker some ceasefires, several cited conflicts were not full-scale wars, many remain unresolved, and U.S. involvement in some efforts was limited or of uncertain decisive impact.

Public sentiment appears skeptical: a Yahoo/YouGov poll found 56% of Americans opposed the idea of Trump winning a Nobel Peace Prize, with only 29% in favor. When asked why Trump might not win, 58% said it would be because "he doesn't deserve it," while 24% blamed committee bias.

Context

Trump has publicly asserted he deserves the award; in August he said, "They will never give me a Nobel Peace Prize," and in October he suggested the committee would favor someone like Barack Obama, who won the prize in 2009 for "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

Bottom Line

Whether or not Machado's medal was physically given to Trump, the exchange is largely symbolic. Machado remains the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate under the committee's rules, but the incident has generated renewed attention to both U.S. claims of peacemaking and the complex politics surrounding Venezuela's opposition leadership.