At a Glance
- Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump during a private White House meeting on January 15.
- Machado left with a Trump-branded swag bag, while the Nobel Committee insists the award remains hers and cannot be transferred.
- Why it matters: The gesture underscores Trump’s lingering grievance over not winning the prize himself and his administration’s shifting stance on Venezuela’s political future.
President Donald Trump is now physically holding the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize after recipient María Corina Machado traveled to Washington and personally handed him the medal-an act the Nobel Committee says has no legal effect.
The Oval Office Exchange
On January 15, Machado arrived at the White House for a closed-door visit. Inside the Oval Office she gave Trump a gold-framed display containing her Nobel medal and a personalized plaque that reads:
- “To President Donald J. Trump, In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy, and Defending Liberty and Prosperity.”
- “Presented as a Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People in Recognition of President Trump’s Principled and Decisive Action to Secure a Free Venezuela.”
- “The Courage of America, and its President Donald J. Trump, will Never be Forgotten by the Venezuelan People.”
After the presentation, photographers captured Machado departing the executive mansion carrying a maroon gift bag emblazoned with Trump’s signature in gold script.
Nobel Panel: Prize Is Non-Transferable
Within 24 hours of Trump publicly musing that Machado “wants to give” him the award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee issued a January 9 statement reminding the world that “once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”
Committee staff reiterated that María Corina Machado remains the sole 2025 laureate, regardless of who possesses the physical medal.
A Month of Turnaround on Venezuela
The hand-off marks a sharp pivot from early January, when U.S. forces struck Caracas and detained Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. At that time Trump dismissed Machado’s prospects of becoming interim president, saying she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country” and pledging that the United States would “run” Venezuela.
Maduro’s second-in-command was ultimately sworn in as acting president, while Machado’s decision to keep the Nobel accolade reportedly angered Trump. A White House source later told News Of Los Angeles that had Machado publicly rejected the prize on the grounds it belonged to Trump, “she’d be the president of Venezuela today.”
Public Statements After the Meeting
Speaking to Fox News, Machado framed the gift as recognition of “his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump posted on Truth Social: “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado… She presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize… Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
The Nobel Committee has not amended its official records, meaning Machado retains the title of 2025 Peace Prize laureate even as Trump displays the medal.
