'Nobel can neither be revoked, shared nor transferred': Committee draws red line after Machado offers peace award to Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has offered to give her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump, triggering a swift clarification from the Norwegian Nobel Committee that the prestigious award cannot be shared, revoked or transferred under any circumstances.

The controversy emerged after President Trump confirmed that Machado would visit Washington next week and that she had expressed a desire to hand over her Nobel Peace Prize to him. Trump, who has repeatedly claimed credit for ending multiple global conflicts during his second presidential term, said he would be open to discussing the offer during her visit.

However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Nobel Institute in Oslo firmly ruled out the possibility. “A Nobel Prize can neither be revoked nor transferred to others. Once the laureate or laureates are announced, the decision stands for all time,” the committee said in a statement. It added that while a laureate is free to use the prize money as they wish, the prize itself remains strictly non-transferable.

Trump Reiterates Nobel Claim

President Trump has, on several occasions, argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, asserting that he helped bring an end to eight wars within months of returning to office. Speaking in a recent interview, Trump said that stopping major conflicts should merit recognition and criticised past Nobel decisions, including the award to former US President Barack Obama in 2009.

Calling his omission from the Nobel list a “major embarrassment,” Trump also took aim at Norway, although officials there reiterated that the Nobel Committee operates independently of the Norwegian government.

Machado, a prominent critic of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, reportedly praised Trump for his role in Maduro’s capture and extradition to the United States to face charges related to narco-terrorism. She has described Trump’s actions as a “gift to the people of Venezuela,” prompting her offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize she received.

Following Maduro’s arrest, Venezuela’s vice president Delcy Rodríguez assumed leadership, while Machado did not take over the country’s top post. US-Venezuela relations remain tense, with Trump making remarks about Venezuela’s oil reserves and suggesting that the country is currently unfit to hold elections.

ALSO READ: Why Trump Desperately Wants Greenland And Why Is It So Important For US | 5 Key Points

Nobel Committee’s Firm Stand

Responding to growing global attention, Nobel Institute spokesperson Erik Aasheim reiterated that Nobel rules are absolute. “Once the announcement has been made, the decision is final for all time,” he said, underscoring that symbolic gestures or political statements cannot alter the status of the award.

ALSO READ: Is Trump Planning 500% Tariff On India For Russian Oil Purchase? What It Means For Indian Economy

Machado’s upcoming meeting with Trump will be closely watched, not only for its diplomatic implications but also for its impact on Venezuela’s fragile political future. For now, the Nobel Committee’s position leaves no ambiguity: the Nobel Peace Prize remains with its original laureate, regardless of intent or circumstance.