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Nobel Institute shuts down talk of Venezuelan leader sharing Peace Prize with Trump
By Michael Sinkewicz
Published January 11, 2026
The organization that oversees the Nobel Peace Prize rejected recent suggestions that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado could give or share her award with President Donald Trump.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute shut down the idea Friday, after Machado suggested that she might transfer the prestigious award to Trump earlier this week.
"Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others," the institute said in a statement. "The decision is final and stands for all time."
The statement comes after Machado floated the idea during an appearance Tuesday on Fox News' "Hannity."
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Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado waves from the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, early Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix via AP)
"Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize?" Sean Hannity asked. "Did that actually happen?"
Machado responded, "Well, it hasn’t happened yet."
"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 give it to him and share it with him," Machado continued. "What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition."
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Nobel officials said the Peace Prize cannot be shared after Machado suggested honoring Trump. (REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno and Win McNamee/Getty Images)
On Jan. 3, Trump announced that the U.S. had successfully completed an operation to capture authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is now facing drug trafficking charges in New York.
Trump was asked during an appearance Thursday on "Hannity" whether he would accept the Nobel Prize from Machado.
"I've heard that she wants to do that," Trump responded. "That would be a great honor."
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Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures during an anti-government protest on Jan. 9, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Machado secretly escaped Venezuela last month and traveled to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which she dedicated to Trump.
"Let me be very clear. As soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated it to President Trump because I believed at that point that he deserved it," Machado said on "Hannity." "And a lot of people, most people, said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday, January 3rd."
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Trump said he plans to meet with the Venezuelan opposition leader in Washington next week.
He has previously stated that Machado "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" to lead. Trump has supported acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro loyalist, who previously served as vice president under Maduro.
Fox News Digital's Landon Mion contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/nobel-institute-shuts-down-talk-venezuelan-leader-sharing-peace-prize-trump