WASHINGTON — Despite losing out on the Nobel Peace Prize, President Donald Trump was awarded the 18-karat gold medal in a unique combination of luck and geopolitics.
During a secret meeting at the White House on Thursday, María Corina Machado, the 2025 prize winner, gave Trump her medal in gratitude for overthrowing Nicolás Maduro, the oppressive leader of Venezuela, during a U.S. military raid on January 3.
Trump congratulated Machado for giving up her award in a post on his social media platform. He didn’t specify what he planned to accomplish.
Nobel prize history (2026-2018)
2026
The winner is: To be announced
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has not yet been awarded. The selection process is still ongoing, and the official winner will be revealed by the Norwegian Nobel Committee later in the year.
2025
The winner is:
MARIA CORINA MACHADO for her unceasing efforts to advance democratic rights for Venezuelans and for her fight to bring about a fair and orderly transition from tyranny to democracy.
2024
The winner is:
NIHON HIDANKYO for working toward a nuclear-weapons-free world and for proving via eyewitness accounts that nuclear weapons must never be used again.
2023
The winner is:
NARGES MOHAMMADI for her efforts to advance freedom and human rights for all people and to combat the mistreatment of women in Iran.
2022
The award was given jointly to
ALES BIALIATSKI, MEMORIAL and CENTER FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES: The recipients of the Peace Prize serve as representatives of civil society back home. For many years, they have advocated for citizens’ fundamental rights and the ability to question authority. They have done a fantastic job of recording war crimes, violations of human rights, and abuses of authority. When taken as a whole, they show how important civil society is to democracy and peace.
2021
The award was given jointly to
DMITRY ANDREYEVICH MURATOV and MARIA RESSA for their efforts to protect freedom of expression, which is essential to democracy and enduring peace.
2020
The winner is:
WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME for fighting hunger, improving peace conditions in places impacted by conflict, and serving as a catalyst for efforts to stop hunger from being used as a weapon of war or conflict.
2019
The winner is:
ABIY AHMED ALI for his initiative in resolving the boundary dispute with neighboring Eritrea, as well as for his efforts to promote world collaboration and peace.
2018
The winner is:
For their efforts to put an end to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict, DENIS MUKWEGE and NADIA MURAD
Balls were chosen over bullets.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will go to a courageous and devoted peace advocate—a woman who sustains democracy in the face of escalating darkness. One of the most remarkable examples of civilian bravery in Latin America in recent years is Maria Corina Machado, who led the democracy struggle in Venezuela.
A political opposition that was previously sharply split has found common ground in the desire for free elections and representative government, thanks in large part to Ms. Machado.
The Peace Laureate of 2025
Maria Corina Machado will receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegian Nobel Committee “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
Ms. Machado has been compelled to live in hiding for the past year. Millions of people have been inspired by her decision to stay in the country despite grave threats against her life. She has united the opposition in her nation. Her opposition to the militarization of Venezuelan society has never wavered. She has consistently advocated for a nonviolent shift to democracy.
If anything, Trump’s prospects of winning this year have decreased, according to Kåre Aas, Norway’s ambassador to the United States from 2013 to 2020. He brought up Trump’s threats to buy Denmark’s territory of Greenland. As stated in an interview, “threatening European nations and annexing Greenland does not at all strengthen President Trump’s chances to get the award.”
It’s unclear what Trump will do with the gift. Will the White House retain Machado’s award? When his time is over, visit his presidential library?
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 is currently displayed in the Roosevelt Room, a short distance from the Oval Office. According to O’Brien, that would be a suitable venue for Machado’s prize.
