Overview
- María Corina Machado said she gave her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a January 15 meeting in Washington, though reports differ on whether he accepted it.
- Norway’s Dag-Inge Ulstein emphasized that the Peace Prize still belongs to Machado despite the physical medal changing hands, citing the award’s rules.
- Centre Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Green Party leader Arild Hermstad criticized Trump’s role, using sharp language to denounce the episode.
- The Nobel Peace Center has reiterated that the status of laureate cannot be transferred, underscoring the gap between formal rules and political theater.
- Political analyst Nikolai Gaponenko argued the handover devalues the prize as a political prop, while prior Washington Post reporting linked Trump’s earlier lack of support for Machado to disputes over the award.