Message from the Nobel Peace Center on the day Donald Trump received the Nobel medal from Maria Corina Machado
Donald Trump at an event at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Credit: ALEX WONG / Getty images / Profimedia
“A medal can change hands, but the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” notes a message posted on the official X account of the Nobel Peace Center, the museum in Oslo dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed the Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump on Thursday in a meeting at the White House in an attempt to influence efforts to shape her country's political future, writes Reuters.
A White House official confirmed that Trump plans to keep the medal.
On the same day, the Nobel Peace Center, the museum dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize, recalled that the medal can change its owner, but not the title of laureate.
“Once the Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, divided or transferred to others”
“It has a diameter of 6.6 cm, weighs 196 grams and is struck in gold. On its front is a portrait of Alfred Nobel, and on the reverse, three naked men embracing in a sign of brotherhood. A design unchanged for 120 years,” says the message posted on the museum's X account.
“Did you know that some Nobel Peace Prize medals have been passed on after the award? A well-known case is Dmitri Muratov's medal, which was auctioned for more than $100 million to support refugees from the war in Ukraine.
And the medal on display at the Nobel Peace Center is actually on loan and originally belonged to Christian Lous Lange, Norway's first Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” the post states.
The #NobelPeacePrize medal
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
— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) January 15, 2026
“But one truth remains. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: 'Once the Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, divided or transferred to others. The decision is final and remains valid forever.'
A medal can change its owner, but the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot do that,” says the message posted on the page of the Nobel Peace Center.
“An Honor”
In a post on social media late Thursday, Trump wrote: “It was a Great Honor to meet the Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado. She is an extraordinary woman who has been through a lot. Maria presented me with the Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. A wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!”
The White House later released a photo of Trump and Machado, in which the president is holding a large, gold-colored frame containing the medal.
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
Trump openly campaigned for the award before Machado received it last month and said he should have received it.
Although Machado gave Trump the gold medal that laureates receive with the award, the honor remains hers; Norway's Nobel Institute said the award cannot be transferred, divided or revoked.
Asked on Wednesday if he wanted Machado to give him the award, Trump told Reuters: “No, I didn't say that. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.”
