Venezuela's Machado mocked for giving Trump her Nobel Peace Prize Submitted by Ghalia Mohamed on Fri, 01/16/2026 - 13:29 Opposition figure accused of 'pandering' to US president US President Trump meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in the Oval Office, during which she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize, 15 January 2026 (Daniel Torok/The White House/Handout via Reuters) Off Maria Corina Machado, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, presented her medal to Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House on Thursday. The move - which she described it as a recognition of the US president’s "unique commitment with (Venezuela's) freedom" - was met with condemnation and ridicule online as social media users linked the move to Trump’s refusal to tap her as new leader of the South American country following Washington's abduction of President Nicolas Maduro and and his wife Cilia Flores earlier this month. American author Joyce Carol Oates described Machado's gesture as an act of “ grovelling before the most loathsome of male leaders”. One journalist called it “one of the greatest acts of vassalage in recent history”, with another user accusing Machado of “pandering” to the US. The Nobel Peace Center posted on X, clarifying that while medals can change owners, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot. One user questioned whether Machado deserved the award in the first place, with another calling it a " mockery " of the prize. 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 "I welcome anything that drains further meaning out of these anachronistic prizes," said Dropsite's Murtada Hussain in a sarcastic post. The Nobel Peace Prize committee had come under fire for their choice last year, with an American civil society organisation and activists calling on the body to " reconsider " its decision, citing Machado's links to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right party Likud, and right-wing parties in Europe. 'Theatre of the absurd' Many have also criticised Trump’s acceptance of the medal, after he boasted in a Truth Social post that he was presented with the award for the "work" he has done, and commended Machado’s move as a “gesture of mutual respect”. Weeks ago, Trump dismissed María Corina Machado as unpopular & unfit to lead Venezuela's future. Today, however, she placed her Nobel Peace Prize medal around his neck & praised his role in bringing freedom to Venezuela. She gave him the medal not despite the bombing, the… https://t.co/DSG5LVbuO7 — Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) January 16, 2026 Social media users have argued that Trump’s acceptance of the second-hand prize is an " embarrassment " and a move that “ diminishes ” Trump and shows “a lack of pride” from the US president. "Shows the faulty judgment of the Nobel Prize committee in honouring such a flighty person," said Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary of India. "Theatre of the Absurd." Trump made it persistently clear last year that we wanted to join the list of leaders who have been awarded the coveted peace prize, as did his predecessor, Barack Obama. Giving a bully your lunch money doesn’t work. This is an embarrassment and a massive fumble by the Nobel committee to award the prize to someone so feckless and weak. https://t.co/yLcyeOgP8y — Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (@malcolmkenyatta) January 15, 2026 Since assuming office, he proclaimed himself the "peace president", promising to end several major wars. Before the Nobel winner was announced, Trump took credit for ending six or seven wars, although critics have questioned the claim. The White House denounced the committee’s decision to award Machado the peace prize, accusing the body of putting "politics over peace". At the time, Machado dedicated the prize to the US president. The Nobel Institute said that the prize cannot be "revoked, shared or transferred” last week after she suggested that she might give her medal to Trump. In December, Fifa awarded Trump an unprecedented and specially created “peace prize”. US Politics Trending Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:29 Update Date Override 0