The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Maria Corina Machado remains the sole Nobel Peace Prize laureate even after she presented her medal to President Donald Trump. The committee stressed that the award—recorded by the medal and diploma—is irrevocable and cannot be transferred, although laureates may give away or sell the physical medal, diploma or prize money. Machado said she handed the medal to Trump "on behalf of the people of Venezuela" and praised his actions regarding President Nicolas Maduro.
Nobel Committee: Maria Corina Machado Remains Sole Peace Prize Laureate Despite Giving Medal to Trump
Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado presents her medal to President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday. Image courtesy of the White House
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Friday that Maria Corina Machado remains the only official recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, despite her recent presentation of the medal to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Committee Statement
In a news release, the committee reiterated that the Nobel Peace Prize is recorded in the laureate’s name through the award’s formal documentation: the gold medal and the diploma. The committee emphasized that those records are not altered by subsequent events.
“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The committee added that a laureate cannot share or transfer the prize once it has been announced, calling the decision irrevocable and saying it “is final and applies for all time.”
What Recipients May Do With the Physical Award
While the committee stresses that the prize itself cannot be reassigned, it clarified that there are no binding rules on what a laureate may do with the physical medal, the diploma or any prize money after the award. Recipients are free to keep, give away, sell or donate those items if they choose.
The Presidential Presentation
The White House posted a photo on social media showing President Trump accepting the framed medal from Machado; the frame also included documentation marking the presentation. Machado told Fox & Friends that she presented the medal "on behalf of the people of Venezuela" and described the moment as very emotional, according to NBC News.
Earlier, Machado praised President Trump for what she said was an order to use U.S. military forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and bring them to the United States to face federal charges alleging drug trafficking and related offenses. Those remarks have been reported in U.S. media and reflect Machado’s public statements.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee’s clarification makes clear that possession of the medal or diploma does not change the historical record of who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
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