How Trump Ended Up With Nobel Medal

Now headlines are suddenly claiming that US President Trump has the Nobel Prize. But the Nobel ceremony is held in December. So how could he have won it already? Did he actually win it at all? Let’s unpack what really happened.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented President Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a meeting at the White House on Thursday. White House officials later confirmed that the prize is now in Trump’s possession. Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her role in keeping the idea of democracy alive through her long struggle against Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule in Venezuela.

The meeting took place just ten days after the US capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and came at a sensitive moment, as debates continue over Venezuela’s political future. Machado spent more than an hour in discussions with Trump before leaving the White House. Speaking briefly to reporters afterward, she said Venezuelans could “count on President Trump”, a remark that sparked chants of “thank you” from supporters before she headed to further meetings in Washington, DC.

Many observers believe the gesture went far beyond symbolism. It is widely seen as an attempt by Machado to win Trump’s backing after he rejected the idea of her leading a post-Maduro transition government. Trump has previously claimed that Machado lacks sufficient support within Venezuela to govern. Handing over a prize Trump has openly coveted for years appears to be a calculated move aimed at shifting his position.

Trump, for his part, described the gesture as “beautiful” and publicly thanked Machado on social media, calling it a sign of mutual respect. However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee clarified that the Peace Prize is permanently tied to the individual or group that earned it. While the physical medal itself can be handed over to someone else, the honour does not transfer with it. Without naming either Trump or Machado, the committee said it stays away from judging what prize winners say or do once the award has been announced.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Machado as a courageous and influential voice for the Venezuelan people while adding that President Trump’s views on her leadership prospects remain unchanged. In the end, we can only hope that Trump’s talk of peace isn’t just about controlling Venezuela’s oil. Or is this episode simply another attempt to shift attention away from uncomfortable headlines, including renewed scrutiny surrounding the Epstein case, which some say has quietly faded from public view? Only time will tell.