Nobel Committee: Medal can change hands, prize title cannot

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House.

Machado said in her meeting with Trump on Thursday that the move was a symbolic act of gratitude for what she described as Trump’s support for “Venezuelan freedom and democracy” following the US‑backed abduction of President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump acknowledged the medal on social media, calling it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

A White House image showed him holding the framed medal, which Machado said was offered “on behalf of the Venezuelan people” in recognition of his actions.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee and Nobel Peace Center have stressed that while a physical medal can change hands and has historically been loaned or auctioned, as with past laureates such as Dmitry Muratov, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred once awarded.

A post from the Nobel Peace Center on social media platform X noted the medal’s traditional design and reiterated that the Nobel Prize remains tied permanently to the original winner.

The Nobel Committee’s regulations state the prize decision is final, and no subsequent actions by a laureate can alter the official designation of the award.

Machado, who received the Peace Prize last year, has used her growing international profile to seek broader political support.

According to the committee, Nobel rules ensure that the official status of Nobel Peace Prize winners remains unchanged, underscoring that ownership of the medal does not equate to ownership of the prize itself.

The public offering of her medal to Trump comes amid complex US–Venezuela relations and ongoing questions about the future political landscape in Caracas.