Trump Now Has the 2025 Peace Prize Medal, but Nobel Committee Says True Winner Is ‘Recorded in History’

The Norwegian Nobel Committee released a detailed statement after the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, gave her Nobel medal to U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Friday, Jan. 16, the committee published a news release titled, “The Nobel Prize and the Laureate Are Inseparable,” addressing the idea that a Nobel Peace Prize can be passed from one person to another.

In its statement, the committee emphasized that while a laureate receives physical items—such as a medal and diploma—those items do not redefine who the prize belongs to.

“The prize itself — the honour and recognition — remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation designated as the laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee,” the statement said.

The committee added that even if the medal, diploma, or prize money changes hands, the historical record does not.

“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize,” the statement clarified. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”

The committee did not criticize Machado’s decision and noted that the Nobel Foundation’s statutes do not prevent a laureate from giving away their medal, which is cast in 18-carat gold.

“The Committee does not comment on laureates’ subsequent statements, decisions, or actions” after a recipient has been selected, the statement said, adding that any choices made after the award are the laureate’s responsibility.

Medal Presented at White House

On Thursday, Jan. 15, Machado visited the White House and privately presented the Peace Prize medal to Trump. The medal was placed in a gold-colored frame featuring a message that read:

“To President Donald J. Trump, In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy, and Defending Liberty and Prosperity.”

The text continued:

“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.”

In return, Trump sent Machado away with a maroon gift bag bearing his signature in gold script.

Earlier Dedication, Then Public Doubts

After the Nobel Peace Prize was announced in October—an award Trump had publicly campaigned for—Machado publicly dedicated the honor to the U.S. president.

Later, after U.S. strikes in Caracas on Jan. 3 and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, Trump expressed doubts that Machado could lead Venezuela, saying it would be “very tough for her” because she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”

Trump also said the U.S. would “run” the country, and he did not object when Maduro’s deputy was sworn in as acting president.

A White House source later told The Washington Post that Machado’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize was viewed as the “ultimate sin” in Trump’s eyes, claiming, “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today.”

Committee Reiterates Prize Can’t Be Transferred

Machado later said she “wants to give” Trump her Nobel Peace Prize—an idea Trump publicly welcomed.

“I’ve heard that she wants to do that,” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Jan. 8. “That would be a great honor.”

Trump’s remark was followed by another public reminder from the Nobel Committee, reinforcing that Nobel status cannot be reassigned.

“The facts are clear and well established,” a Jan. 9 committee release stated. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”