Donald Trump is in physical possession of a Nobel Peace Prize medal, gifted to him by last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
But according to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, no matter what happens to the 18-carat gold medal, the prize itself "remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation designated as the laureate".
The organisation issued a statement making its position clear on Saturday, after Machado gave her award to the United States president during a meeting at the White House this week.
The committee noted that laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma and prize money.
"It is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize," the statement said.
"Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize."
The prize cannot be shared with others, transferred, or revoked, the committee said.
"The decision is final and applies for all time."
Has this happened before?
There are no restrictions on what a Nobel laureate can do with the medal, diploma or prize money. They are free to keep them, give them away, sell or donate them if they wish.
A number of Nobel laureates have opted to sell or give away their medals.
Nane Annan, widow of 2001 peace prize laureate Kofi Annan, donated the medal and diploma to the United Nations Office in Geneva, where they are permanently on display.
In 2022, Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov sold his peace prize medal for US$103.5 million ($154.8 million) and donated the entire sum to a UNICEF fund for Ukrainian refugee children.
Norwegian author Knut Hamsun, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920, gifted his medal to Germany's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, a prominent Nazi, as a gesture of thanks after they met in 1943.
That medal's current whereabouts are unknown, the Nobel Committee noted.
Others have also sold their medals, loaned or donated them to museums.
Why did Machado give her medal to Trump?
Trump has made no secret of his desire to win the prize. Foreign leaders seeking to curry favour with him have previously put him up for it and hailed his peacemaking efforts.
A White House spokesperson complained in October that Trump was snubbed for the 2025 award because the Nobel Committee prioritised "politics over peace".
At the time, the Trump administration was prominently spearheading an effort to broker peace in Gaza.
Machado dedicated her award to Trump after it was announced, saying Venezuela was counting on Trump and other key allies to achieve freedom and democracy. She thanked him for his "decisive support of our cause".
Earlier this month, the US carried out a lightning strike in Caracas, kidnapping Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in New York in a move widely seen as illegal by international law experts.
Machado presented her prize to Trump at the White House during their first face-to-face meeting on Thursday.
"María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!" Trump wrote on social media after the meeting.
It was widely interpreted as an effort to gain influence as the future of Machado's country — currently led on an interim basis by Maduro's former deputy Delcy Rodriguez — hangs in the balance.
Trump has previously dismissed suggestions that Machado could be installed as Venezuela's leader, saying she does not have enough support among its people.
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