'Not Even Symbolically': Nobel Foundation Rejects Machado's Peace Prize Handover To Trump

Last Updated:January 18, 2026, 18:02 IST

The Foundation stressed that one of its core missions is to safeguard the dignity of the prizes and uphold the stipulations of Alfred Nobel’s will.

Venezuelan leader Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel Prize to US President Donald Trump. (Photo: X)

The Nobel Foundation on Sunday issued a statement rejecting the transfer of a Nobel Peace Prize after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she had “presented" her medal to US President Donald Trump.

In a post on X, the Foundation stressed that one of its core missions is to safeguard the dignity of the prizes and uphold the stipulations of Alfred Nobel’s will.

“One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration. The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations," the Nobel Foundation stated.

The statement said the prizes are awarded only to those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind" and clearly define who has the right to receive them.

“A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed," the statement firmly added.

Machado met Trump at the White House on Thursday and handed him a framed Nobel Peace Prize medal. “To President Donald J Trump – In gratitude for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy and defending liberty and prosperity," a message accompanying the medal said.

Trump had described the gesture as “wonderful" and shared a photograph of the medal on social media, thanking Machado. He has repeatedly expressed interest in the Nobel Peace Prize and has previously questioned why former President Barack Obama was awarded it.

News world 'Not Even Symbolically': Nobel Foundation Rejects Machado's Peace Prize Handover To Trump

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