In October 2025 the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Venezuela’s María Corina Machado. Ahead of her White House meeting, Nobel officials emphasized that laureateship is nontransferable, though a medal may be handed to someone else. Machado presented her medal to President Trump, who kept it and publicly thanked her; Machado later told Fox News she had given it and said he "deserves" it. The episode echoes a 2016 incident when Trump accepted a Purple Heart from a supporter and highlights the difference between symbolic gifts and honors earned through service.
Trump Keeps Nobel Medal Given by María Corina Machado — Echoes 2016 Purple Heart Moment
In October 2025 the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado, not to U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite official clarifications about the prize, Machado presented her medal to Trump during a White House meeting, and multiple accounts report that he kept the medal after the encounter.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute stepped in ahead of the meeting to remind the public that Nobel Prizes are legally and formally nontransferable. The Nobel Peace Center reiterated the distinction later: "A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot."
After the meeting, Trump posted on his social media platform: "María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!" Machado later told Fox News that she had given the medal to Trump and said he "deserves" it as she seeks to strengthen ties with the Republican administration.
President Donald Trump on July 7, 2025 in the Blue Room of the White House.(Al Drago / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Parallel With a 2016 Episode
The episode revived memories of a 2016 incident reported by Politico in which then-candidate Trump accepted a Purple Heart from a supporter at a campaign event. Trump said at the time, "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart... This was much easier," even though Purple Hearts are honors for service members wounded or killed in combat. Trump avoided military service in the Vietnam era, citing what he described as bone spurs in his feet.
"I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier."
Legal Status Versus Symbolic Meaning
Legally and officially, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and affiliated institutions make clear that laureateship is a personal distinction that cannot be transferred. A physical medal, however, is an object that can be handed from one person to another. That technical difference—between the legal title of Nobel laureate and a tangible medal—matters both legally and symbolically.
For critics and observers, the incident raises questions about optics and the difference between receiving a symbolic token and earning recognition through one’s own actions. Supporters may view the gesture as political solidarity; detractors see it as political theater in which honors are used as props rather than as markers of individual achievement.
Whatever interpretation one favors, the episode underscores a clear point articulated by Nobel officials: possessing a medal is not the same as holding the title and responsibilities that come with being a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
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