Norway Stunned As Trump, Hungry For It, Revels In Machado Leaving Her Peace Nobel In The White House

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Norway reacted with incredulity and embarrassment to the gesture, with political leaders and scholars saying it demeaned one of the world’s most respected honors. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has long maintained that once awarded, the Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked, a rule underscored after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her medal to US President Donald Trump during a White House meeting.

Trump described her leaving behind the award in the White House as a “great honor,” saying Machado had given him her Nobel Peace Prize “for the work I have done,” and thanking her publicly for what he called a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” The closed door meeting over lunch marked their first in-person encounter.

Machado later framed the act as symbolic, telling reporters she was invoking “shared democratic traditions” between Venezuela and the United States.

By leaving the medal behind, appeared to be seeking something she considers even more valuable: US political backing as she positions herself for a post Nicolás Maduro future.

It laid bare the hunger on both sides. One leader is openly eager for the global validation of a Nobel Prize, while the other is seeking to come to power.

The Nobel Peace Center said on social media that “a medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel peace prize laureate cannot.”It clarified that the prize remains with the recipient alone and cannot be passed on under any circumstances. That clarification did little to soften reactions in Norway, where lawmakers expressed shock and dismay. 

A former state secretary in the foreign affairs ministry termed it as “disrespectful.” 

A Labour Party lawmaker went further, calling the episode online as “incredibly embarrassing and damaging to one of the world’s most respected and important prizes.”

The leader of the Centre party publicly said, “Whoever has received the prize has received the prize. The fact that Trump accepted the medal says something about him as a type of person: a classic showoff who wants to adorn himself with other people’s honours and work.”