Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented U.S. President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during their meeting on Thursday. She did not answer reporters' questions as to whether he accepted it.
Trump has repeatedly argued he should have won the Nobel Peace Prize himself, telling supporters his diplomacy warranted the same recognition given to past laureates and pointing to his efforts around negotiations and ceasefire talks as evidence. In recent months, he has publicly framed the prize as something he “earned” through peacemaking and suggested he was being passed over for political reasons, even as the Nobel committee weighed other candidates.
Hours after the meeting, in a Turth Social post, he had praise for Machado and for her Nobel gesture: "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!?
The Nobel institutions, however, have stressed that even if a laureate physically gives someone a medal, the honor itself does not change hands. In a statement issued January 9, 2026, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said the Nobel Peace Prize “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred,” emphasizing that the committee’s decision is final and that the award remains with the named laureate.
Newsmax contributed to this report.
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