Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, handed her peace prize to Donald Trump, sparking a pointed response from the Nobel committee.
Trump posed beaming next to Machado within the Oval Office, holding the medal encased in a glitzy golden frame.
Machado, Venezuela’s fundamental opposition leader, who lives in exile within the US, received the long-lasting Nobel Peace Prize in October for her ongoing struggle to assist rescue her country from its future as ‘a brutal, authoritarian state.’
She said it was ‘a historic day for us Venezuelans’ after meeting Trump for the primary time yesterday and handing over her prize within the White House.
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The US president said on Truth Social after the meeting: ‘It was my Great Honor to fulfill María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a superb woman who has been through a lot.
‘María presented me along with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I even have done. Such a beautiful gesture of mutual respect. Thanks María!’
Nonetheless, the Norwegian Nobel Peace Committee appeared dismayed by the move, saying the honour can’t be passed on or shared with anyone else.
It said in a social media post: ‘Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it can’t be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The choice is final and stands all the time.’
The Nobel Peace Center, which houses the unique gold medal in Oslo, issued a press release, saying ‘a medal can change owners, however the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.’
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Trump had signalled he was unhappy when Machado was awarded the honour last 12 months, and he has made it clear he wishes to win it someday.
All eyes have been on Venezuela since US special forces seized Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and his wife on January 3.
Inside days, Trump’s administration was able to move in to take control of the country’s vast oil reserves. The US military has stopped oil tankers suspected of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
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