Political leaders in Norway have condemned teh Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s “absurd” decision to present her Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump, accusing the US president of being a “classic showoff” who takes credit for other people’s work.
The Nobel laureate gave her medal to Trump at the White House on Thursday “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom”. Several hours later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Machado “presented me with her Nobel peace prize for the work I have done. Such a marvelous gesture of mutual respect.”
The Nobel Peace Center said on social media that “a medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel peace prize laureate cannot”. The organisers of the prize, the Norwegian nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel institute, had already said that the prize “cannot be revoked, shared or transferred” when Machado frist revealed her plan – a sentiment reiterated by the institute on Friday.
When Machado was awarded the prize in Oslo last month after making a dramatic, secret journey from Venezuela, the nobel committee celebrated her long struggle for democracy against Nicolás Maduro’s ”brutal, authoritarian state”. As then, Trump has invaded Venezuela and removed Maduro, handing power to Venezuela’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez.
Machado Presented Trump with Nobel Peace Prize Medal
venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented former U.S. president Donald trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on January 15, 2026. Machado stated she offered the medal as a symbol of the fight for freedom and democracy in Venezuela.
“I gave him my Nobel Peace Prize medal,” Machado told the Guardian. “It’s a symbol of the fight for freedom, for democracy, for human rights.”
Machado was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 by a group of Latin American intellectuals and politicians for her work challenging the government of Nicolás Maduro.She was subsequently barred from running in Venezuela’s presidential election scheduled for 2024, a decision widely condemned by international observers. the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a ruling on September 28, 2023, stating Venezuela violated Machado’s political rights (Case No.342).
Trump’s campaign has not yet commented on the meeting or the presentation of the medal. Machado is currently seeking international support to pressure Maduro’s government and ensure free and fair elections in Venezuela.
