WASHINGTON — The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize is dismissing talk of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado giving her recent award to President Trump.
Once the Nobel Peace Prize is announced, it can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others, the Norwegian Nobel Institute affirmed in a short statement last week.
“The decision is final and stands for all time,” it said.
The statement Friday comes after Machado said she’d like to give or share the prize with Trump, who oversaw the U.S. invasion of her country to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He is facing drug trafficking charges in New York.
“I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to, to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, along with the people of Venezuela, shortly after it was announced. Trump has coveted and has openly campaigned for winning the Nobel Prize himself since his return to office.
When it comes to governing Venezuela after Maduro’s ouster by the U.S., though, Trump is not supporting Machado. He is instead backing acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro.
He’s called Machado a “very nice woman” but said she doesn’t have the support within Venezuela to govern, although her party’s candidate — Machado was barred from running — is considered by independent observers to have overwhelmingly defeated Maduro in the 2024 election, a result the autocratic leader refused to accept.
Trump told Hannity on Thursday that Machado plans to visit in the coming days and referred to a potential Peace Prize offering as a “great honor.”
A representative for Machado did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
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