Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her persistent efforts in promoting democratic rights within Venezuela, presented her physical Nobel Peace Prize medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump. This event occurred during a meeting at the White House on January 15, 2026. Machado publicly stated that this gesture was an acknowledgment of Trump's "extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy, and defending liberty and prosperity." She also specifically referenced his perceived commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people, particularly after a U.S. military operation that reportedly led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Following this widely reported event, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the official awarding body for the Peace Prize, issued a clarifying statement on January 16, 2026. The Committee clarified that while there are no existing restrictions in the statutes of the Nobel Foundation regarding what a laureate may do with the physical medal, the diploma, or the prize money—allowing these items to be kept, given away, sold, or donated—the Nobel Peace Prize itself, representing the honor and recognition, remains irrevocably and inseparably linked to the person or organization originally designated as the laureate. The statement underscored that the possession of the physical medal does not, in any way, transfer the title or status of a Nobel Peace Prize winner to another individual. The Committee also indicated that it does not typically comment on laureates' subsequent statements, decisions, or actions once the prize has been announced. Historical precedents for laureates parting with their medals include instances like Knut Hamsun in 1943 and Dmitry Muratov in 2022.