The White House has voiced concerns over the Nobel Foundation’s recent remarks regarding Donald Trump, accusing them of failing to acknowledge his “unparalleled achievements.”

Steven Cheung, who serves as the White House director of communications, criticized the Nobel Foundation following Trump’s acceptance of the esteemed Peace Prize from Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado.

Cheung alleged that the foundation was engaging in political maneuvering instead of recognizing Trump’s endeavors to resolve conflicts, which he believes merits the award.

In a statement on X, Cheung remarked, “The Nobel Foundation has issued several statements about President Trump, who justly deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in resolving at least eight conflicts.” He added, “They should focus on highlighting the president’s unique accomplishments rather than engaging in political games.”

Cheung’s criticisms were made shortly after the Nobel Foundation released a deliberately phrased public statement, emphasizing that Nobel Prizes are non-transferable, even in a symbolic sense.

Cheung’s rebuke came hours after the Nobel Foundation issued its own carefully worded public clarification, stressing that Nobel Prizes cannot be transferred – even symbolically.

The statement followed last week’s high-profile Oval Office meeting involving Trump and Machado.

‘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,’ the foundation wrote in a statement. 

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during a White House meeting last week

The White House publicly criticized the Nobel Foundation after it rejected the symbolic transfer of a Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump

The Nobel Foundation stated that Nobel Prizes cannot be passed on or transferred, even symbolically, under Alfred Nobel’s will

‘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.’  

The foundation’s statement came after Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a private meeting at the White House on Thursday – explicitly framed by her as symbolic.

‘I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,’ Machado told reporters afterward. 

She said she did so ‘as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.’

Trump later confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal with him.

‘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,’ Trump wrote. ‘Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!’

The White House subsequently released a photograph of Machado standing beside Trump in the Oval Office as he held the medal in a large framed display. 

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 was awarded to Maria Corina Machado for her work promoting democratic rights in Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves the flag in January 2025

 Trump is seen alongside White House Communications Director Steven Cheung (file photo)

The inscription inside the frame read: ‘Presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action to secure a free Venezuela.’

The Nobel Foundation quickly moved to shut down any implication that the prize itself had been transferred, or that Trump had become an informal recipient.

Under Nobel rules, the Peace Prize is awarded solely by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and recipients retain exclusive ownership of the honor. 

The foundation’s clarification underscored that the rules apply even to symbolic gestures.

Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for what the committee described as 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.’

The prize also carries a monetary award of more than $1 million.

Machado had previously announced she intended to dedicate the award, in part, to Trump – a nod to his administration’s pressure campaign against Venezuela’s former leadership. 

She has said the president’s actions were decisive in advancing her cause, even as Trump has more recently questioned her political viability and signaled openness to engaging with Venezuela’s current power structure.

In December, Trump received FIFA’s newly created Peace Prize for actions cited as promoting peace and unity worldwide

FIFA president Gianni Infantino hands the World Cup trophy to Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House last August

Trump has never hidden his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, frequently arguing that his role in de-escalating or ending global conflicts has gone unrecognized by international institutions.

The dispute comes just weeks after Trump received a different international honor – one that his allies now point to as validation of his record.

In December, Trump was awarded the newly created FIFA Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup draw.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented Trump with the medal and praised his diplomatic efforts.

‘It’s a beautiful medal for you that you can wear everywhere you want to go,’ Infantino told Trump during the ceremony.

The certificate accompanying the award recognized Trump for actions taken to ‘promote peace and unity around the world,’ and Infantino told him directly, ‘You definitely deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for your action, for what you have obtained in your way.’

Trump placed the medal around his neck and called the honor ‘one of the great honors of my life,’ adding, ‘The world is a safer place now.’