Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters on Thursday that she gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump.
“Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal — in this case, the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom,” she said.
Machado’s offering comes after Trump’s unprecedented action of sending in US troops to Venezuela to capture president Nicolas Maduro and his wife and fly them to America to be indicted.
After the meeting, Trump said on Truth Social “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”.
However, the Nobel committee has strict rules about whether prizes conferred can be transferred to others. Here’s what to know about the Nobel Peace Prize.
Can the Nobel Peace Prize be transferred?
The Nobel Peace Center put out a lengthy post explaining the rules of transferring the prize. Nobel Peace Prize medals can be passed on from person to person, the center noted in the X post.
“A well‑known case is Dmitry Muratov’s medal, which was auctioned for over USD 100 million to support refugees from the war in Ukraine,” they explained. “And the medal displayed at the Nobel Peace Center is actually on loan and originally belonged to Christian Lous Lange, Norway’s first Peace Prize laureate,” the post further added.
However, the truth remains that the prize itself cannot be transferred; only the medal can be given to someone else. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time,” as per the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Thus, the medal can change owners but the title of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.
Thus, Trump who got the medal can only accept that, and not the prize itself. That can only be conferred by the committee.
