President Donald Trump proudly “accepted” a Nobel Peace Prize medal; but, it wasn’t exactly sanctioned by the Norwegian Nobel Committee…
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Trump snagged the award after meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Thursday, who handed over her own Nobel Peace Prize medal to the 79-year-old.
“María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. The former The Apprentice star added that Machado was a “wonderful woman who has been through so much” and that it was a great honor to meet her.
The White House did not immediately disclose details about the closed-door meeting. However, Trump described it to ABC News as “great.”
Machado Speaks to Reporters Following Giving Trump Her Nobel Peace Prize
As she left the White House, Machado told reporters she had presented Trump with her prize and reflected on the shared history between the two countries.
“I told him this … Listen to this—200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar, since then, kept that medal for the rest of his life,” she explained to reporters.
“Actually, when you see his portraits, you can see the medal there. And it was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the United States, people of United States, and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny. And 200 years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington, a medal, in this case a medal of a Nobel Peace Prize, and a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom,” Machado added.
Simon Bolivar liberated Venezuela and other Latin American countries from Spanish rule in the 1800s. The Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who fought alongside George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.
Maria Corina Machado Won the Nobel Peace Prize She Gifted Trump Back in October
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for “promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and working to transition the country from a dictatorship to a democracy. Machado dedicated the prize to Trump and the people of Venezuela following its announcement in October 2025.
Last week, she expressed her desire to give or share the prize with Trump. He oversaw the U.S. operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who has pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges in New York.
Despite Machado’s generous gift, the Norwegian Nobel Institute rained on the parade last week. In a statement, they clarified that the prize isn’t exactly a baton you can pass around. According to the rules, the honor “can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time.”