The Nobel Peace Prize medal handed to USA President Donald Trump this week by 2025 laureate María Corina Machado does not transfer the prize itself, Norway’s Nobel institutions have stressed. The Director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute (Det Norske Nobelinstitutt), Kristian Berg Harpviken, said the decision to give away the physical medal was Machado’s, but the honour and recognition remain inseparably tied to the official laureate.
What happened at the White House
Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, presented her gold medal to Trump during a meeting in Washington. Trump publicly thanked her and has indicated he intends to keep the medal.
Machado framed the gesture as recognition of what she called Trump’s “principled and decisive action” in support of a “free Venezuela”, according to accounts of the meeting reported by international media.
What Harpviken said about the medal and the prize
Speaking to Norwegian media, Harpviken drew a clear line between the physical symbols of the award and the Nobel Peace Prize as a historical title.
The Nobel Peace Prize “cannot be given away”, he said, while the medal itself can be transferred like any other object. He also underlined that it is not the Nobel Committee’s role to comment on what laureates do after the prize is awarded.
Why the Nobel Committee says the prize cannot be transferred
In a statement published on its official website, the Norwegian Nobel Committee (Den Norske Nobelkomité) said that “the Nobel Prize and the laureate are inseparable”.
The medal and diploma, the committee noted, are physical confirmations of the award, but they do not change who is recorded as the laureate. Under the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, once a prize has been announced it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred.
In practical terms, that means Trump can possess the medal, but he does not become a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
A precedent that keeps returning to the Nobel system
The Nobel institutions also pointed out that Machado is not the first recipient to give away, donate, or sell a Nobel medal.
Over the decades, some laureates have donated their medals to institutions or humanitarian causes, while others have sold them. The motivations have ranged from philanthropy to personal or political choices. The Nobel system, however, treats these acts as separate from the prize itself, which remains permanently attached to the original recipient.
Political backlash in Norway and calls for reform
The gesture triggered sharp criticism in Norway, where the Nobel Peace Prize is administered. Several public voices argued that handing the medal to a sitting USA president risks undermining the prize’s symbolic authority. Some critics described the move as politically motivated, interpreting it as an attempt by Machado to influence Trump’s Venezuela policy.
The episode has also revived a recurring Norwegian debate about how the Nobel Committee is appointed. Under Alfred Nobel’s will, the committee’s members are selected by Norway’s parliament, the Storting. Critics say that a committee with strong ties to party politics can make the prize more vulnerable to international pressure and domestic controversy.
