Donald Trump has been presented with the Nobel Peace Prize by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, despite the committee’s rules against transferring the award. The event has sparked comparisons to Barack Obama’s receipt of the prize.
Machado, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 for her efforts in promoting democracy in Venezuela, met with President Trump to present him with the medal.
The prize recognized her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Following their meeting at the White House, Machado described the gesture as a recognition of Trump’s “unique commitment with our freedom,” referencing U.S. military actions against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
This act of “gifting” the medal to Trump comes despite the Nobel Peace Center’s clarification that the award cannot be transferred to another individual.
Despite these rules, Machado and Trump posed for a photograph with Trump holding the award in a gold frame, smiling proudly.
This image has been juxtaposed with a picture of Barack Obama receiving his Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, which was officially awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
On Twitter, someone shared the two images with the comment: “In case anybody wondered what it looked like for a President to actually win a Nobel Peace Prize vs. pretending to win one by extorting a woman who only wants the best for her country.”
In case anybody wondered what it looked like for a President to actually win a Nobel Peace Prize vs. pretending to win one by extorting a woman who only wants the best for her country. pic.twitter.com/SIXzhFZjDf
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) January 16, 2026
An additional comment noted Trump’s frequent claims of deserving the prize: “There’s a difference between earning global respect and demanding applause.”
Another individual remarked, “I’d be humiliated if someone offered their prize to me out of pity let alone me pressuring and begging.”
Another critic expressed, “I think this is the single most pathetic thing Trump has done. It’s like a middle schooler who has no friends and no skills who’s just begging for somebody to recognize him for something.”
Others pointed out that Trump’s receipt of the prize is unofficial since it wasn’t awarded by the committee itself.
They stated, “Only one of these is an actual Nobel Peace Prize awarded by the Nobel Committee. Everything else is political theater.”
The Nobel Committee issued a statement to reiterate the rules surrounding the Peace Prize following Machado’s actions.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status,” the organization stated on its website on January 9.
“The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”