Norwegian Politicians Slam Trump Over Nobel Medal Handover

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on Thursday. She called the act a sign of his support for her country's freedom, but it has led to strong backlash from Norwegian politicians who help decide the prize each year.

Background

Maria Corina Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2025 for her work to bring democracy to Venezuela. She has long fought against the government there and praised Trump for backing her efforts. When the prize was announced, she dedicated it in part to the Venezuelan people and to Trump.

The Nobel Peace Prize comes from the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor who made dynamite. It goes to people or groups who work for peace, disarmament, or human rights. A group in Oslo, Norway, picks the winner each year. The prize includes a medal, a diploma, and about one million dollars. Once given, it stays with the winner forever under the rules.

Trump has wanted a Nobel Peace Prize for years. He has pointed to his role in stopping wars and making deals in the Middle East and elsewhere. Last year, he pushed hard for the award but did not get it. Machado's move came as she met with him to talk about Venezuela's future. The US helped remove President Nicolas Maduro from power earlier this month, but Trump has not fully backed Machado as the next leader.

Venezuela has huge oil reserves, and the US wants steady access to them. Trump has said he supports Acting President Delcy Rodriguez if she works with US interests. Machado has been shut out of talks about her country's leadership shift. Her gift of the medal seems like an effort to win his favor.

Key Details

The meeting happened at the White House. Machado told Fox News it was an emotional moment and that Trump deserves the honor. Trump posted on social media that she left the medal with him as a gesture of respect. He called her a wonderful woman who has suffered a lot.

Nobel Committee Rules

The Norwegian Nobel Institute made it clear right away that the prize cannot be given away. The statutes say the award, the title, and the honor stay with the person who wins it. Machado can do what she wants with the physical medal, like sell it or keep it, but Trump does not become a Nobel winner. She remains the 2025 laureate.

Past prizes have been refused or stolen, but never officially transferred. In 1973, Vietnamese diplomat Le Duc Tho turned down his share of the prize because the war went on. In 1939, someone nominated Adolf Hitler as a joke and took it back. The rules have not changed over time.

Reactions in Norway

Norwegian leaders reacted with surprise and anger. Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, a parliament member, said Trump acts like someone who takes credit for others' work.

"It's completely unheard of… It's a meaningless act, because you can't give away an award. It's the award itself, the honour of getting it. So this is very pathetic, I have to say." – Professor Janne Haaland Matlary, former politician

Raymond Johansen, a former city leader, called it unbelievably embarrassing. He said on Facebook that the prize is getting too political and could hurt its value. US analyst Eirik Lokke suggested Machado did it to please Trump, even though he questions her support in Venezuela.

Online, people mocked the event. Former US ambassador Michael McFaul asked how Trump feels no shame in taking someone else's prize. Others said if you can give it away, it is no longer special. A few defended Machado, saying it is just a medal and might help her people.

What This Means

This event puts a spotlight on how politics mix with the Nobel Peace Prize. Norway sees the award as a serious honor for real peace work. Handing over the medal makes some worry it looks like a political trade. Trump keeps the medal, but it does not add to his record as a peace maker in the official sense.

For Venezuela, the gesture highlights the tough spot Machado is in. She needs US help to lead her country, but Trump backs others if it suits oil deals. The US ousted Maduro on January 3, but leadership talks are stuck. Greenland talks with the US also stalled this week over Trump's push to control the island.

The Nobel Committee has no plans to change the rules or take back the prize. Machado keeps her title. Trump can show the medal, but Norwegians say it is absurd to treat it like his own. The story shows divides between US power moves and the prize's ideals. Online talk keeps growing, with memes and debates about what the Nobel really stands for today.

Machado's team has not said if she will ask for the medal back. Trump has not commented on the criticism. Norwegian politicians want the focus back on real peace efforts, not gifts between leaders. The prize ceremony happens each December in Oslo, and this year people will watch closely for signs of change.