Asia Pacific Report
The Nobel Peace Prize “handover” episode at the White House has sparked shock and criticism in Norway, where the honour is awarded.
Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, a member of the Norwegian Parliament, said Trump’s acceptance of the medal showed that he was a “classic scapegoat who will adorn himself with other people’s awards and work”.
Professor Janne Haaland Matlary, a former politician, called the incident “completely unheard of” and said it reflected a lack of respect for the prize on [Mariá Corina] Machado’s part.
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“It’s a meaningless act, because you can’t give away an award. It’s the award itself, the honour of getting it. So this is very pathetic, I have to say,” she said.
Venezuelan opposition leader Mariá Corina Machado handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House last week, describing the gesture as “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Speaking to Fox News later, Machado said Trump “deserves it”, adding that “it was a very emotional moment”.
Trump, who had aggressively lobbied for last year’s Nobel Peace Prize by citing what he claimed were efforts to halt eight wars, later posted on social media that Machado had left the medal with him to keep.
He called it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
No legal or symbolic standing
The Nobel Committee, however, was quick to clarify that such a transfer has no legal or symbolic standing.
According to the Norwegian Nobel Institute and the Nobel Committee, once awarded, a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or reassigned. This rule is a core principle of the Nobel Foundation’s statutes, as laid out in Alfred Nobel’s will.
In an historic humiliation for America, the Norwegian Nobel Committee is forced to issue a statement making clear that No, a Nobel Peace Prize extorted from a duly awarded winner by an authoritarian president who has militarily seized her country as an oil colony, doesn’t count. pic.twitter.com/dvZrvb16Rn
— Jesse Lee (@JesseCharlesLee) January 10, 2026
While a laureate is free to dispose of the physical medal or prize money as they wish, the official title and honour of being a Nobel Peace Prize recipient permanently belong to the chosen laureate and cannot be passed on.
As a result, Machado remains the official 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner. Trump may possess or display the medal, but he does not become a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her efforts to “promote democratic rights in Venezuela” and to steer the country away from dictatorship and toward democracy.
When the prize was announced in October 2025, she dedicated the honour to the Venezuelan people and to Trump, praising his backing of Venezuela’s democratic movement.
Other Norwegian reaction
Raymond Johansen, secretary-general of Norwegian People’s Aid and a former city council leader, described the situation as “unbelievably embarrassing and damaging” to the Nobel Peace Prize.
Writing on Facebook, he warned that “the awarding of the prize is now so politicised and potentially dangerous that it could easily legitimise an anti-peace prize development.”
US analyst Eirik Lokke said the move appeared to be an attempt by Machado to curry favour with Trump, despite the US president having repeatedly claimed that she lacked sufficient support or respect within Venezuela to lead the country.
Online reaction was equally scathing. Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote on X, “I just can’t understand how Trump feels no embarrassment over accepting someone else’s prize.”
Another user, @JoJoFromJerz, posted, “If you can ‘give’ your Nobel Peace Prize to someone like Donald Trump, you clearly didn’t deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.”
Others mocked the gesture. “When the Nobel Peace Prize becomes transferable, it stops being a prize and starts being a joke,” wrote @jeetensingh. “She’s not giving it, she’s buying him,” another user, @Zenantics2, commented.
Some, however, defended Machado. One user argued, “I actually think she may be displaying the kindness and wisdom that led to her getting the peace prize in the first place. It’s just a silly medal.
“And it might ease some of the suffering of her people.”
Purple Heart ‘gift’ incident
MS NOW political commentator Steve Benen wrote that the Machado “gift” to Trump was a similar incident to when the President had received a Purple Heart award from a retired military colonel.
“Trump wants the accolades without the sacrifice. He apparently prefers a model in which others do the heavily lifting and then generously turn over their honours to him, without him having to do anything to merit the award he covets,” Benen wrote.
Despite the symbolic handover, Trump has continued to back Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez over Machado, provided she aligns with Washington’s interests — particularly continued access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
