Nobel Committee Clarifies Rules After Machado's Offer to Trump
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has issued a definitive statement clarifying that Nobel Prizes cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. This announcement comes after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, suggested she might offer her award to U.S. President Donald Trump as gratitude for his role in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
'The decision is final and stands for all time,' stated the Nobel Institute, which reported receiving numerous inquiries about the possibility of prize transfers in recent days. 'Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.'
Machado's Controversial Remarks
The controversy began when Machado, during an interview with Fox News, was asked if she had offered her Nobel Prize to Trump. 'Not yet,' she responded, adding that she wanted to personally tell him that Venezuelans believed she should share the prize with him. Machado, who fled Venezuela last year and has been living in Norway, praised Trump's actions in Venezuela, saying 'We stand on the brink of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the American people, the peoples of Latin America and the democratic nations of the world as our main allies to achieve freedom and democracy.'
Trump responded enthusiastically, calling it a 'great honor' and announcing plans to meet with Machado next week. He also criticized the Nobel Committee, calling it 'embarrassing for Norway' that he hadn't received the prize initially.
Background: The Venezuelan Crisis
Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela. The award recognized her struggle to achieve a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in a country that has seen its GDP contract by 80% under Maduro's rule.
Last week, U.S. forces conducted a military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. They were flown to New York to face narcoterrorism charges. The operation, conducted without Congressional notification, represents the most aggressive U.S. military intervention in the Western Hemisphere since the 1989 Panama invasion.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president and will cooperate with Washington's reconstruction plans. The operation has drawn international condemnation from Russia and China while receiving mixed reactions regionally.
Trump's Nobel Aspirations and FIFA's Controversial Prize
Trump has made no secret of his desire for a Nobel Peace Prize, having previously claimed he deserved it for ending wars. 'I think I deserve it for all the wars I've ended,' he has stated multiple times, though conflicts in Gaza and elsewhere continue.
In what appears to be a consolation gesture, FIFA recently created a new 'FIFA Peace Prize' and awarded it to Trump during the World Cup draw in Washington. The move has been widely criticized as political pandering, with critics noting the irony of awarding a peace prize to a leader who has overseen hundreds of airstrikes worldwide in 2025 alone.
Trump has also accepted other controversial gifts, including a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar's royal family valued at approximately $400 million. While U.S. presidents are generally prohibited from accepting such gifts, the aircraft was officially donated to the Pentagon, bypassing Congressional approval.
Looking Ahead
Despite Trump's initial reservations about Machado as Maduro's successor, he has now invited her to Washington to participate in discussions about Venezuela's future. 'She does not have the support or respect within the country,' Trump said last weekend, but has since reversed course, allowing her to join talks about Venezuela's reconstruction.
The Nobel Committee's clarification serves as a reminder that while political gestures may be symbolic, the institutional rules governing one of the world's most prestigious awards remain unchanged. As the Venezuelan crisis continues to unfold, the international community watches closely to see how this unprecedented intervention will affect regional stability and democratic transitions in Latin America.