Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Jan 16: In a highly unusual and symbolic gesture, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented U.S. President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a White House meeting on Thursday. Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her work advocating democracy in Venezuela, handed over the gold medal, which Trump said he plans to keep, calling the act a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

The meeting — Machado’s first in person with Trump — lasted about two and a half hours and was seen as an effort to gain support from the U.S. amid ongoing political shifts in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Machado described the medal transfer as recognition of Trump’s “commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.”

However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute has clarified that while the physical medal can change hands, the Nobel Peace Prize itself cannot be transferred, shared or revoked once awarded. Machado remains the official Nobel laureate for 2025, and Trump’s acceptance of the medal does not make him a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The gesture sparked debate internationally, with some Norwegian politicians calling it “absurd” and warning that such politicisation could harm the credibility of the Nobel Prize.

The meeting also highlighted the complex U.S. stance toward Venezuela’s transition: while Trump welcomed Machado’s visit, his administration has maintained relations with interim leaders in Caracas, reflecting broader geopolitical calculations in the region.