In an unprecedented political spectacle, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado presented her medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a controversial White House meeting on Thursday. The Venezuelan opposition figure characterized this extraordinary transfer as symbolic recognition of Trump’s “unique commitment with Venezuela’s freedom.”
The gesture ignited immediate international backlash across social media platforms, where critics denounced the act as everything from political groveling to historical vassalage. Prominent American author Joyce Carol Oates condemned the presentation as “grovelling before the most loathsome of male leaders,” while journalists described it as “one of the greatest acts of vassalage in recent history.”
The Nobel Peace Center promptly clarified via social media that while physical medals may change ownership, the prestigious title of laureate remains non-transferable. This clarification emerged alongside widespread questioning of Machado’s initial worthiness for the award, with many users calling the medal transfer a “mockery” of the Nobel institution itself.
Contextual scrutiny reveals deeper controversies: The Nobel committee faced significant criticism for their 2025 selection, with civil society organizations challenging Machado’s eligibility due to her alleged connections to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right Likud party and various European right-wing factions.
Trump’s acceptance of the medal drew additional condemnation after he boasted on Truth Social about being honored for his diplomatic “work,” praising Machado’s gesture as one of “mutual respect.” This development appears particularly contradictory given Trump’s previously documented dismissals of Machado as “unpopular & unfit” to lead Venezuela.
The White House had previously denounced the Nobel Committee’s original decision, accusing the body of prioritizing “politics over peace.” This latest episode compounds the controversy, with critics including India’s former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal labeling the entire affair “Theatre of the Absurd.”
This incident marks Trump’s second symbolic peace recognition within months, following FIFA’s unprecedented decision in December to award him a specially created “peace prize.” The convergence of these events has sparked broader discussions about the politicization of international honors and the evolving nature of diplomatic symbolism in contemporary geopolitics.