Turns out that President Donald Trump has ended up with the Nobel Prize anyway.
Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who was awarded the prize last year, said at that time she was accepting it but thought Trump deserved it. So when she visited the White House on Thursday, she presented it to him.
President Donald J. Trump meets with María Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor.🕊️ pic.twitter.com/v7pYHjVNVO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 16, 2026
“Because he deserves it,” Machado told “Fox & Friends” during an interview that aired Friday morning. “And, um, it was a very emotional moment.”
Machado, 58, added that she had presented Trump, 79, with the medal in a frame “on behalf of the people of Venezuela” following the Jan. 3 arrest of socialist authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro on federal drug and weapons charges in a daring US special forces raid on Caracas.
She said she was grateful for what he had done to help Venezuela.
“We are people that love United States of America, that share values, that admire the strength of your institutions, that want to live with democracy and dignity and justice and freedom.
“I wanted to convey this to him, and for him to know how much support and hope there is today in Venezuela regarding what he’s doing in our country,” Machado added.
Asked what is next for Venezuela in the wake of Maduro’s arrest, Machado responded: “Freedom.”
Machado also explained why she thought it was particularly appropriate.
🚨 WOW! Despite being told the Nobel Peace Prize could NOT be transferred, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave it to President Trump on behalf of the Venezuelan people. 🇺🇸🇻🇪
— David J Harris Jr (@DavidJHarrisJr) January 16, 2026
“Because HE DESERVES it! It was a very emotional moment. I decided to present the… pic.twitter.com/9HxRaqZFH7
She explained how the Marquis de Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with the face of George Washington on it to represent freedom 200 years ago, so now she was presenting this medal to "Washington's heir" for all he had done to achieve freedom in Venezuela and the Americas.
Now, had Trump been a liberal Democrat after all the efforts he's made for peace around the world, he probably would have been a lock for the prize. Barack Obama got it for doing nothing. The bottom line it's the actions that are more important, and that's what Machado was recognizing.
READ MORE: Another Trump Stunner: Political Prisoners Released, Major Venezuela Deal Sealed
But what was extra funny was how burnt the Nobel Committee was over her action. They actually made an X post about how the prize "can't be transferred" by giving it to someone else.
The #NobelPeacePrize medal.
— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) January 15, 2026
It measures 6.6 cm in diameter, weighs 196 grams and is struck in gold. On its face, a portrait of Alfred Nobel and on its reverse, three naked men holding around each other’s shoulders as a sign of brotherhood. A design unchanged for 120 years.
Did… pic.twitter.com/Jdjgf3Ud2A
As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.” A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.
What they say may be true. But what's also true is that the achievements for peace live, whether a liberal organization recognizes them or not. They are what the prize is really supposed to be about. And the Nobel Committee not recognizing them can't change the things Trump has achieved.
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