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What is the story about?
US President Donald Trump accepted the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado during a meeting at the White House, attributing it to ending eight wars.
When asked by a reporter about accepting another laureate’s award, Trump justified the move by citing his administration's role in ending eight global wars, claiming that Machado insisted no one in history was more deserving of the honour.
"Well, she offered it to me. I thought it was very nice. She said, 'you know, you've ended eight wars, and nobody deserves this prize more than, in history, than you do," he was quoted as saying by USA TODAY.
Addressing reporters on the White House lawn on Friday, January 16, Trump praised the exchange as a "very nice gesture," affirming his high regard for Machado by stating, "I think she’s a very fine woman. And we’ll be talking again".
When Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump on January 15, the US President heaped praise on the Venezuelan leader, calling it a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect."
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, "It was my great honour to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!”
According to Machado, she presented her medal "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom."
The encounter happened less than two weeks after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this month. Earlier, he also uploaded a doctored Wikipedia article proclaiming himself the "Acting President of Venezuela, Incumbent January 2026."
Meanwhile, theNorwegian Nobel Committee issued a statement clarifying that the prize is ‘inseparable’ from the laureate and cannot be officially shared or transferred.
In a statement on Friday, the award body said, "A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time."
When asked by a reporter about accepting another laureate’s award, Trump justified the move by citing his administration's role in ending eight global wars, claiming that Machado insisted no one in history was more deserving of the honour.
"Well, she offered it to me. I thought it was very nice. She said, 'you know, you've ended eight wars, and nobody deserves this prize more than, in history, than you do," he was quoted as saying by USA TODAY.
Addressing reporters on the White House lawn on Friday, January 16, Trump praised the exchange as a "very nice gesture," affirming his high regard for Machado by stating, "I think she’s a very fine woman. And we’ll be talking again".
When Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump on January 15, the US President heaped praise on the Venezuelan leader, calling it a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect."
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, "It was my great honour to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!”
According to Machado, she presented her medal "as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom."
The encounter happened less than two weeks after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife earlier this month. Earlier, he also uploaded a doctored Wikipedia article proclaiming himself the "Acting President of Venezuela, Incumbent January 2026."
Meanwhile, theNorwegian Nobel Committee issued a statement clarifying that the prize is ‘inseparable’ from the laureate and cannot be officially shared or transferred.
"The
Nobel Prize and the Laureate Are Inseparable."
Read the full press release from the Norwegian Nobel Committee here:https://t.co/YLGniNg6lq
— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) January 16, 2026
In a statement on Friday, the award body said, "A laureate cannot share the prize with others, nor transfer it once it has been announced. A Nobel Peace Prize can also never be revoked. The decision is final and applies for all time."
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