US President Donald Trump recently made headlines after posing with a Nobel Peace Prize medal at the White House. The medal was handed to him by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is herself a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. As Trump accepted the medal, he smiled warmly and called the moment a “wonderful gesture.” The two even posed cheek-to-cheek for photographs, making the moment highly symbolic and controversial.

Trump’s reaction was not surprising. For years, he has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has frequently spoken about it in public and has often suggested that he deserves the honour for his role in international diplomacy. Because of this, many observers felt that Trump’s smile and public acceptance of the medal revealed just how important the prize is to him.

What made the incident even more unusual was the fact that Machado did not just show the medal to Trump, she left it at the White House. Trump accepted it openly and described the act as a “gesture of mutual respect.” This created a historic moment, as it was the first time a Nobel Peace Prize winner voluntarily handed over their medal to someone else. However, this raised an important question: can a Nobel Peace Prize actually be given or transferred to another person?

The answer is no. The Norwegian Nobel Institute had already clarified this issue days before Machado’s visit. On Sunday, the institute again stated clearly that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or taken back once it has been awarded. This statement came after Machado suggested that she might give her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.

In its official statement, the institute explained that the rules of the Nobel Foundation are very strict. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, the decision is final and permanent. There is no system for appeal, and the prize cannot be revoked under any circumstances. The institute also made it clear that Nobel committees do not comment on what winners do or say after receiving the prize.

In simple terms, even if a laureate wants to give their medal to someone else, the honour legally and officially remains theirs forever. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated, “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.” This clarification ended speculation around whether Trump could ever officially receive the Nobel Peace Prize through such a gesture.