In an unusual and widely publicised moment at the White House, Venezuela’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado handed her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal to former US President Donald Trump, calling it a gesture of mutual respect and gratitude for what she described as his support for Venezuelan freedom. Trump publicly accepted the medal and posted a photo with Machado, calling it a “wonderful gesture.”

However, according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Nobel Institute, the Nobel Peace Prize itself cannot be transferred, shared, revoked or legally reassigned once it has been awarded. The statutes of the Nobel Foundation make any change to the official laureate final and irreversible, and the committees do not comment on actions taken by laureates after the award has been made.

While thephysical medalcan be given away, sold or displayed by someone else, thetitle of Nobel Peace Prize laureate remains solely with the original winner— in this case, María Corina Machado. Even if Trump now physically holds the medal, Nobel organisers emphasise that heis not officially recognised as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Historically, Nobel laureates have sometimes donated or sold their medals — for example, authors and scientists have parted with theirs — but these actions did not change the official record of the award or confer the honour on a new individual.

In Machado’s case, her act was largely symbolic, reflecting her political stance and appreciation, but doesnotalter the official status of the Nobel Peace Prize.