Donald Trump’s long-cherished dream of holding a Nobel Peace Prize was finally fulfilled on Thursday, January 15, 2026, when Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented him with her medallion during a meeting in the White House.
However, Nobel Peace Center officials once again made it clear that the presentation would only be considered symbolic, as the title cannot be shared or transferred by a laureate.
On the day Trump happily posed with the medallion and the White House proudly circulated the photo online, the Nobel Peace Center took to X to reaffirm that a medal can change hands, but the title cannot.
The #NobelPeacePrize medal.
It measures 6.6 cm in diameter, weighs 196 grams and is struck in gold. On its face, a portrait of Alfred Nobel and on its reverse, three naked men holding around each other’s shoulders as a sign of brotherhood. A design unchanged for 120 years.
Did… pic.twitter.com/Jdjgf3Ud2A
— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) January 15, 2026
Taking an indirect dig at Trump and Machado’s arrangement, the museum’s official account posted, “Did you know that some Nobel Peace Prize medals have been passed on after the award was given?”
The post cited the example of journalist Dmitry Muratov, whose Nobel Peace Prize medal was auctioned in 2022 to raise over $100 million for Ukrainian refugees. While the insignia was sold, Muratov still remains a Nobel laureate.
The Peace Center added, “But one truth remains. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: ‘Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.’ A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”
Meanwhile, Trump is still happy that Machado shared her prize with him. The President took to Truth Social to announce that the medal was presented to him in “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
Machado was awarded the prize in 2025 for promoting ‘democratic rights’ in Venezuela. She was the opposition leader against Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by the Trump administration after a military attack on Venezuela on January 3.
Machado welcomed the operation and repeatedly announced that she was willing to offer her Nobel Prize to Trump. The US President had long sought the award after claiming he stopped eight international wars.
Experts argued that Machado was only trying to impress Trump so that he would transfer Venezuela’s power into her hands. However, the move did not pay off, and the Trump administration instead chose Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the country’s interim leader.
President Donald J. Trump meets with María Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor.🕊️ pic.twitter.com/v7pYHjVNVO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 16, 2026
Nevertheless, Machado still stuck to her words. She met Trump for an official lunch at the White House and posed with him while handing him her Nobel Prize.
The medal was kept in a gold frame that displayed a message reading, “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.”
Machado later appeared in front of the media and announced, “I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize [as a] recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
While the gesture might have massaged Trump’s ego, the Nobel Prize committee maintains that the President would not be called a Peace Prize Laureate.
