President Donald Trump admitted on Thursday that he intends to keep the Nobel Peace Prize presented to him, even though it doesn't bear his name.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado traveled to Washington, D.C. on Thursday to present Trump with the Nobel Prize she won last year for her work to spread democracy in Venezuela. Trump has long coveted the Nobel Peace Prize, and some analysts saw Machado's visit as a ploy to get Trump to install her party in power over the regime of Delcy Rodríguez, who was dictator Nicolás Maduro's second-in-command before the U.S. arrested him.
"It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday night. "She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!"
The Nobel Foundation has said that it will not recognize Trump as the 2025 winner even if he keeps Machado's trophy.
Trump's comments sparked outrage online.
"If your name is read out at the Academy Awards for having the best performance or whatnot in a film, you are an Oscar winner," Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff to Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), posted on X. "If you buy an Oscar statue on eBay, you have an expensive paperweight, it’s actually less meaningful than a participation trophy. Pretty pathetic!"
"Imagine being so pathetic and needy you take someone else’s Nobel Prize," Sarah Longwell, The Bulwark's publisher, posted on X.
"*Illegitimate secondhand Nobel Peace Prize," political commentary account PatriotTakes posted on X.