Prize cannot symbolically be passed on: Nobel Foundation after Machado presents medal to Trump

Days after Venezuelan leader Maria Corina Machado presented United States President Donald Trump with the Nobel Prize, the Nobel Foundation issued a statement clearly stating that even symbolically the prize cannot be passed to another.

Trump, who has been coveting the prize for the past one year, was finally presented with one on Friday.

Taking to Truth Social, Trump said, "Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!"

However, following this meeting, the question that reigned supreme on everyone's mind was: Is Trump the new owner of the Nobel Prize and in turn a Nobel laureate?

Though, the answer was, in short, no. The story revolved around the symbolism of such a moment and how these gestures sit uneasily with the strict rules governing the world’s most celebrated honour.

Cut to today, the Nobel Foundation issued a statement and clarified, "One of the core missions of the Nobel Foundation is to safeguard the dignity of the Nobel Prizes and their administration.

"The Foundation upholds Alfred Nobel’s will and its stipulations. It states that the prizes shall be awarded to those who "have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind," and it specifies who has the right to award each respective prize. A prize can therefore not, even symbolically, be passed on or further distributed."

Over the past year, Trump has been obsessed with attaining the Nobel Prize, often stating that he 'ended' eight wars.

He had also stated, "Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize."