Norway shocked by Machado’s move to present Nobel prize to Trump
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is surrounded by press as she leaves the U.S. Capitol after a meeting with U.S. senators on January 15, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Drew Angerer | Afp | Getty Images
Norwegian lawmakers reacted with shock and dismay to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s decision to present the Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump.
“This is completely unheard of,” says Janne Haaland Matlary, a professor of international politics at the University of Oslo and former secretary of state at the foreign ministry. he told public broadcaster NRK on Friday.
He called Machado’s move “disrespectful” and “deplorable” and said it undermined the value of the award, which Norway awards annually.
Raymond Johansen, a Norwegian MP from the centre-left Labor Party and former mayor of Oslo, he said in a Facebook post According to Google’s translation, this was @incredibly embarrassing and damaging to one of the most respected and important awards in the world.”
Machado, who met with Trump for the first time at the White House on Thursday, said that the gift given to the US president was “expression of deep gratitude For President Trump and the invaluable support of the United States to the Venezuelan people.” This was after a US military operation captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on January 3.
US president He thanked Machado on social mediahe describes it as “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”. Later White House posted a photo Portrait of Trump and Machado, the US president holding a large, gold frame depicting the medal.
A bust of Swedish chemist, engineer, inventor, businessman and philanthropist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) is seen in front of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, on January 8, 2026.
Jonathan Nackstrand | Afp | Getty Images
Nobel Peace Center, a museum dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize in the Norwegian capital said in a post on X: “The owner of a medal can change, but the title of the Nobel Peace Prize winner cannot.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute had previously said: “The facts are clearly and firmly established. Once announced, the Nobel Prize cannot be cancelled, shared or transferred to others.” The decision is final and always valid“
“Whoever received the award also received the award,” Norwegian Center Party leader Trygve Slagsvold Vedum told NRK. “Trump accepting the medal says something about him: He is a classic scapegoat who will adorn himself with the awards and work of others,” he added.
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment when contacted by CNBC on Friday.
‘Politics instead of peace’
Trump has often spoken of his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The White House responded to the Nobel Committee’s decision to award Machado the prize in October last year, saying, “They proved that they put politics before peace“
However, some Norwegian MPs appeared happy to shrug off Machado’s gesture, but said it should not be seen as an indication of who the award belonged to.
Dag-Inge Ulstein, leader of Norway’s centre-right Christian Democratic Party, told NRK there was “no doubt” that the Nobel Peace Prize still belonged to Machado.
Ine Eriksen Søreide, Norway’s former defense minister and member of the center-right Conservative Party, agrees with Ulstein.
“Even though Trump received the medal, that doesn’t mean he received the Peace Prize,” Søreide said.
