President Trump says he will keep Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado presented President Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize, and the White House confirmed that he would retain the award.
Although President Donald Trump may win the medal, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado cannot be redistributed to him, the Nobel Foundation said in a statement following Machado’s move to present the award to the president at a White House meeting on January 15.
The Nobel Foundation said in a statement on January 16 that Machado’s decision to award the prize to Trump does not change the prize’s recipients. The Nobel Foundation said in a statement that it aims to “protect the sanctity of the Nobel Prize and its administration” and uphold “the will of Alfred Nobel Prize and its provisions.”
“…the awards shall be awarded to those who have ‘delivered the greatest benefit to humanity’ and define who has the right to award each award,” the statement reads. “Therefore, the prize may not be transferred or further distributed, even if symbolically.”
Mr. Machado’s award was awarded in October 2025. Trump publicly lobbied for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, but the honor was instead given to Machado for his “efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela,” the Nobel Committee announced at the time of Machado’s award, including “confronting the country’s growing authoritarianism,” according to a Nobel support website.
Machado was blocked from running for Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election by President Nicolás Maduro’s government, and instead supported an alternative opposition candidate, Emundo González Urrutia. Both Mr. Maduro and Mr. Gonzalez have declared victory in the July 2024 presidential election, but many foreign leaders, including Mr. Trump, have questioned or denied the legitimacy of Mr. Maduro’s victory over Mr. González.
Since receiving the award, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been captured by US forces on January 3 and charged with drug trafficking and corruption. Delcy Rodriguez, the country’s vice president under Maduro, has been sworn in as Venezuela’s new interim president. Mr. Rodriguez has said he wants to work with the U.S. administration, and Mr. Trump praised his cooperation as the United States begins selling Venezuelan oil.
As Venezuela continues to undergo leadership changes, some see Machado’s award of the peace prize as an attempt to gain future support from Trump. Machado also dedicated his award to Trump after he was first elected in October.
Still, the Nobel Foundation and the Nobel Institute insist that the prize and honor cannot be reassigned. In an earlier statement, the Nobel Institute clarified: “A Nobel Prize cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to another person. Once announced, the decision remains in effect forever.”
According to the Nobel Institute, “It is impossible to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize. Neither Alfred Nobel’s will nor the Nobel Foundation’s constitution mention such a possibility.”
But President Trump plans to keep his long-coveted award, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY on Jan. 16. The 18-carat gold medal was presented in a large gold frame and inscribed with the inscription: “In recognition of extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy, and defending freedom and property.”
“It is presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive actions to ensure a free Venezuela,” the certificate included with the gesture said.
During the ceremony, Machado told the story of how the Marquis de Lafayette, a French military officer who served in George Washington’s Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, handed a medal with a portrait of the first U.S. president, Washington, to Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan soldier who fought against Spain in 1825.
“For 200 years, the Bolivarian people have returned the medal to Washington’s successor,” she said. “In this case, the Nobel Peace Prize medal in recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom.”
Contributors: Kinsey Crowley, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY
Kate Perez covers national trends and breaking news for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kperez@usatodayco.com or X @katecperez_.
