Donald Trump forces Nobel committee to underline how the president’s shamelessness won’t change their decision

In life, all of us have to accept that at some point you might face defeat — and that you have to take it with grace. Donald Trump, however, has taken a different path, with the latest example being him goading Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado into giving him her Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump doesn’t deserve a Nobel Peace Prize. This is not just because he has been involved in the Israel and Iran conflict, or even his cold feet in mediating an end to the Ukraine–Russia war. The Nobel Committee has been involved in multiple controversies surrounding its choices before, especially when it awarded the late Henry Kissinger.

The truth about the Nobel organization is that, right or wrong, they stick to their decisions. And even Trump’s hard-throttle campaign from last year seemed like it was going to bear no fruit, because if Bill Gates was willing to use the late Jeffrey Epstein to supposedly campaign for him to get the award, it just shows how elusive and definitive the committee is. So when the Nobel Committee chose Machado, it was a surprise within the Trump administration, but to observers of the committee, that deal was already done.

Machado was awarded for fighting against the Nicolas Maduro regime in an effort to ensure greater democracy in the oil-rich state. But at the same time, Trump was having a public back-and-forth with Maduro that culminated in an unprecedented abduction. The only problem was that Trump immediately declared he would now seize the oil from the nation and left Maduro’s Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, as the de facto leader.

Trump was asked by the press why he didn’t endorse Machado to be the next president of the nation, and he claimed that nobody in Venezuela respects her. But in other interviews, the US president was also saying that should Machado offer him the Nobel Peace Prize she won, he would gladly accept it. Some saw it as Trump offering an olive branch to Machado if she wanted to truly have his endorsement.

After being presented Machado’s Peace Prize to keep, Trump took to Truth Social to write, “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” This came at a very convenient time for both. Trump has had a falling out with Rodriguez, who has opposed his oil-drilling dreams — prompting Trump to even call himself the “president of Venezuela.” The Nobel Committee, however, stated: “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”

The #NobelPeacePrize medal.

It measures 6.6 cm in diameter, weighs 196 grams and is struck in gold. On its face, a portrait of Alfred Nobel and on its reverse, three naked men holding around each other’s shoulders as a sign of brotherhood. A design unchanged for 120 years.

Did… pic.twitter.com/Jdjgf3Ud2A

— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) January 15, 2026

Machado is believed to have taken political advantage of the disagreement to pull the rug out from under Rodriguez. She has already made it clear, in more ways than one, that she is willing to do the Trump administration’s bidding. Just recently, she appeared on a Zoom call with Donald Trump Jr., saying she would welcome American oil companies with open arms.

That being said, when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was last asked whether Trump would now endorse Machado, she responded, “At this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed.”