Venezuelan far-right politician María Corina Machado hands over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump in White House, Washington DC, January 15, 2026. Photo: EFE.
The gesture of servility by Venezuelan far-right leader María Corina Machado, presenting US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize, drew criticism from media outlets in Norway, the country that awarded her the distinction.
“Pathetic.” “Unheard of.” “Ridiculous.” These are some of the adjectives that appeared on Friday, January 16, in Norway’s main media outlets.
Criticism did not come only from Norway but also from various parts of the world—where the news was initially met with derision. Political and social leaders, as well as figures from the art world and academia from around the world, joined in criticizing Machado’s action.
Ignasi Guardans, Catalan MP and director general of the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts of Spain, called it “ridiculous, embarrassing, and humiliating.”
A Chilean internet user, ReneX, wrote: “The presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize medal by María Corina Machado to Donald Trump is neither a diplomatic act, nor a strategic move, nor a symbol of moral integrity. It is, plain and simple, an act of vassalage.”
EL NOBEL COMO OFRENDA
Breve manual de la humillación voluntaria.
Hay gestos políticos que no necesitan análisis: se explican solos. La entrega de la medalla del Premio Nobel de la Paz por parte de María Corina Machado a Donald Trump no es un acto diplomático, ni una jugada… pic.twitter.com/6WniLsmczL
— ReneX (@Eneatipo7) January 17, 2026
Criticism of Trump
It was not only Machado who drew criticism and ridicule; the incident did not go unnoticed by the opposition in the United States, a country is currently facing the ICE (immigration) crackdown ordered by the Trump administration.
Maintream media outlet CNN published the criticisms from some leaders and commentators: “Trump’s insatiable thirst for recognition led him to accept a newly invented ‘FIFA Peace Award,’ which was evidently created to curry his favor after he failed to win his coveted Nobel Prize.”
The situation is embarrassing, since, as the article points out, Machado handed over her award to someone who has already publicly denied his support for installing her as president of a de facto government in Venezuela.
“The other way to interpret this situation is that, irrespective of the pressure, Machado used the medal as a bargaining chip. It is hard to blame her for using it as leverage, given how important it is to her and her country,” the CNN article reflected.
“But this dynamic also underscores the real risks of Trump’s emphasis on flattery. And it raises the possibility that decisions as serious as ousting a foreign leader and shaping that country’s future could be made, at least in part, based on personal praise,” the article added.
International Academic Statement Against US Bombing of Venezuela and Kidnapping of President Maduro
Criticism with humor
Cartoonists and memers around the world have seized on the event to question the act through political satire, in a context where the two epoliticians, Trump and Machado, have militarily attacked Venezuela—one by carrying out the attack, the other by pleading for it.
In addition to the fact that the act of handing over the prize itself is already shameful, it is impossible not to take into account the context in which it has taken place, as that frivolous award ceremony—paradoxically dubbed a “peace” prize—is drenched with the blood of many of María Corina Machado’s compatriots during the January 3rd US military attack on Venezuela.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
