United States President Donald Trump appeared to be justifying his decision to accept Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize medal with a simple “she offered it to me” and attributed it to ending eight wars. When asked why he would want someone else’s Nobel Prize, Trump said, “Well, she offered it to me. I thought it was very nice. She said, you know, you have ended eight wars, and nobody deserves this prize more than – in history – than you do. And I thought it was a very nice gesture.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Trump, who described it as a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” during the Thursday meeting at the White House. Machado, who has on previous occasions said that she would give her Nobel prize to Trump. A White House official confirmed to news agency Reuters that he intends to keep the medal.
Why did Trump get given the Nobel Peace Prize?
Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in October last year.
She was hailed by the Nobel Committee as “one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.”
The committee added that the award was “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Ms Machado has spent many years fighting for democracy in the South American country as opposition leader, challenging former President Nicolás Maduro’s government – who first came to power in 2013.
In 2024, she was blocked from running in the presidential election, which ended in President Maduro declaring himself as the winner.
Many people, both in Venezuela and internationally, said that the elections weren’t fair, and that the opposition’s alternative candidate – who stood in Ms Machado’s absence – had actually won the election.
Earlier this month, the US captured the then President of Venezuela, Mr Maduro, after President Trump ordered military strikes on the country.
The US said that Mr Maduro was not elected legally and that he was leading an international drug trafficking organisation, something that President Maduro had denied. Some countries have criticised the US for the military action in Venezuela.
Mr Maduro is now being held in the US, and President Trump says the US will “run” Venezuela until there is a “proper” handover of power.
Can you give your Nobel Peace Prize to someone else?
President Trump has never won a Nobel prize, but he has spoken about the fact that he would like to be awarded the Peace Prize, both before and after Ms Machado was given the award.
Ms Machado said last week that she would share her Prize with Trump, but the Nobel Committee later explained that this was not allowed.
“Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” it said in a statement last week.
“The decision is final and stands for all time, ” they added.
Despite this, Ms Machado handed her medal to President Trump during a meeting at the White House.
Afterwards she explained: “I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize,” calling it “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump has said it would be an “honour” to accept the award.
Trump Has Repeatedly Taken Credit for Ending 8 Wars
Trump has repeatedly taken credit for ending eight wars, including the May 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan, in as many months of the first year of his second term in the White House. He has said that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for each of the eight wars that he has ended.
Trump has also questioned why Obama was given the Nobel Prize, saying the former president did not do anything to deserve the honour.
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