People are comparing how Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize to Trump after Venezuelan opposition gifted him award
Donald Trump has officially been gifted the Nobel Peace Prize, despite pushback from the committee - and people can't help but compare the moment to when former POTUS Barack Obama received his own.
Yesterday, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met with President Trump and presented him with the Nobel Peace Prize medal that she was awarded in October 2025.
She was awarded the prize for 'her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy'.
Speaking after their meeting at the White House, Machado said that priceless gift had been in recognition of Trump’s 'unique commitment with our freedom' in regards to US troops capturing controversial Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
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Machado's 'gifting' of the medal comes after the Nobel Peace Center made it clear that the prestigious award cannot be given to someone else.
Despite this, Machado and Trump posed for a photo as she handed over the award to him in a large gold frame with his name on it, with the president beaming as he held his new award up to the cameras.
In light of the snap being taken, some people have posted it next to a photo of former POTUS Barack Obama receiving his Nobel Peace Prize (that was actually given directly to him from Norwegian Nobel Committee) in 2009.
Somebody penned on Twitter alongside the two pictures: "In case anybody wondered what it looked like for a President to actually win a Nobel Peace Prize vs. pretending to win one by extorting a woman who only wants the best for her country."
Someone replied to the photo, noting Trump's many comments about him being the one to 'deserve' the prize: "There’s a difference between earning global respect and demanding applause."
"I’d be humiliated if someone offered their prize to me out of pity let alone me pressuring and begging," said another.
A different person argued: "I think this is the single most pathetic thing Trump has done. It’s like a middle schooler who has no friends and no skills who’s just begging for somebody to recognize him for something."
Elsewhere it was noted that Trump hasn't really won it as the award wasn't given directly from the committee.
"Only one of these is an actual Nobel Peace Prize awarded by the Nobel Committee. Everything else is political theater," they said.
The Nobel Committee were forced to clarify what happens with the Peace Prize once it's been awarded in the wake of Machado's plans to give it to Trump.
"The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status," the organization said on its website on January 9.
"The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time."
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, World News, Barack Obama
Niamh Shackleton