In a high-profile decision that has caused discussions around the world and sparked concern at the Nobel Committee, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has formally given her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump. Although Trump has been pushing for the prestigious honour for some time, the “transfer” of the award has stirred up a furious reaction from the prize-conferring institution in Norway.
A Gift at the White House
On Thursday, the White House hosted an unprecedented ceremony that was not scheduled for official diplomatic function. Maria Corina Machado, known as the “Iron Lady” of Venezuela for the way she continued to fight the regime of President Maduro, met with President Donald Trump. In that meeting, she presented the Nobel Peace Prize medal she received from the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Machado said the gesture is in gratitude both for Trump’s dedication to the liberation of Venezuela and for his role in the arrest of dictator Nicolás Maduro.
The Nobel Committee Strikes Back
Norway's Nobel Committee quickly issued a counterstatement regarding this informally made transfer. The committee explained that although a laureate can “dedicate” some aspect of their Nobel win to another, the official title and award are non-transferable.
“A prize is granted at that moment, it is final and eternal for the awarded subject to it,” the committee said. They pointed out that in their documents, Maria Corina Machado is still the only single winning person for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize and giving it to a third party has no precedence in the history of the Nobel Foundation.
The Long Quest for the Nobel awarded to Trump
For years Donald Trump said his dream of the Peace Prize, often mentioning his efforts in stopping eight separate wars and the Abraham Accords. He had also publicly backed the nomination from leaders in Israel and Pakistan.
After receiving the medal from Machado, Trump took to social media to say his thanks:
"It was a great honor to meet Maria Machado. She is a wonderful woman who has suffered much. In recognition of the efforts I made, she even gave me her Nobel Peace Prize. Thank you, Maria!"
Who is Maria Corina Machado?
Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her courage and bravery in the fight for democracy in Venezuela. Her leadership in confronting systemic oppression and her role in mobilizing the international community against the Maduro dictatorship made her the committee’s front-runner in the “Iron Lady” slot of the year.
Global Response: “Jathre” (Carnival) or True Tribute?
Critics say the event was a “publicity stunt,” and that a few international media outlets considered it an “informal path” toward a Nobel that Trump could never win through the committee process. Supporters, however, see it as a forceful symbolic union between two leaders who have defied the worldwide status quo.
