Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on January 15. Machado stated that this gesture was "recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom" and for his "Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy and Defending Liberty and Prosperity" for Venezuela and the entire hemisphere. She also credited Trump for a U.S. military operation that led to the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Trump, who has previously expressed his belief that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize, accepted the medal, calling it a "Great Honor" and a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect." However, this action drew significant criticism from Norwegian lawmakers and the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The Norwegian Nobel Institute issued a statement clarifying that a Nobel Prize "cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others" once announced, emphasizing that the decision is "final and stands for all time."
Norwegian politicians reacted strongly, describing the act as "embarrassing and damaging," "absurd," "meaningless," and "pathetic." Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, leader of the Center Party, commented that Trump's acceptance "says something about him as a person: a classic braggart who wants to adorn himself with other people's awards and work." Kirsti Bergsto of the Socialist Left found the move "most of all absurd and meaningless," while University of Oslo professor Janne Haaland Matlary called it "completely unheard of" and a "total lack of respect for the award." Critics also suggested that the Nobel Committee's reputation had been compromised and that Norway faced political embarrassment. Machado had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 for her efforts in "promoting democratic rights" and her "struggle for a transition to democracy" in Venezuela. This incident has further highlighted the politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize.