Norwegian politicians have strongly criticised Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado after she presented her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a White House meeting on January 15, 2026, calling the gesture “absurd” and damaging to the prestige of the award. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela, said she gave Trump the medal in recognition of what she described as his decisive role in advancing freedom in her country. Trump publicly accepted the medal and praised Machado’s gesture, posting on social media that it was a mark of mutual respect.
Officials from the Norwegian Nobel Committee and Nobel Peace Center emphasised that while a physical medal can change hands, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains non-transferable and cannot be revoked or shared. Politicians in Norway, including leaders from the Socialist Left Party and other parties, labelled the transfer of the medal “absurd,” “meaningless,” and potentially harmful to the reputation of the Nobel Prize, noting that the peace prize is awarded independently and its integrity must be preserved.
The controversy has sparked broader debate in Norway over the political symbolism of the award and whether current Nobel processes align with Alfred Nobel’s original intentions. Machado’s gesture has drawn both domestic and international criticism as well as commentary on the intersection of international politics and prestigious peace awards.