A former Trump administration official is making headlines again—this time with a remark that critics say borders on absurd.
John Bolton, who served briefly as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, claimed during a television interview that he once worried Trump might physically take a Nobel Peace Prize medal displayed inside the White House.
Speaking Monday on CNN, Bolton referenced the Nobel Peace Prize medal awarded to former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 for helping negotiate an end to the Russo-Japanese War. The medal hangs in the Roosevelt Room, a space frequently used for high-level meetings.
“I was always worried he would grab that if he couldn’t get another one,” Bolton said, suggesting Trump’s long-standing interest in the Nobel Peace Prize motivated his concern.
President Trump has openly argued for years that his diplomatic efforts deserve Nobel recognition. He has frequently pointed to peace agreements, foreign policy breakthroughs, and conflict de-escalation efforts during his presidency. At the same time, Trump has criticized the Nobel committee, accusing it of political favoritism and ignoring conservative leaders.
The controversy resurfaced last week after Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado suggested she would be open to symbolically sharing the Nobel Peace Prize she received in October with Trump. Her remarks followed dramatic U.S. involvement in Venezuela, including the detention of longtime socialist leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on narcoterrorism charges.
During an interview on Fox News, Machado said the prize represented the will of the Venezuelan people and expressed interest in recognizing Trump’s role in recent developments.
However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute later clarified that Nobel Prizes cannot be transferred, shared, or reassigned once awarded.
Despite that clarification, President Trump said it would be a “great honor” to accept the recognition symbolically when he meets with Machado in Washington. Trump has also questioned Machado’s political influence within Venezuela, while backing an interim leadership structure tied to current government officials as the U.S. oversees the country’s transition.
Bolton criticized that decision, calling it a major strategic mistake and arguing that sidelining Machado weakens the legitimacy of U.S. involvement.
When asked whether the Nobel discussion could affect his views on Venezuela’s future leadership, Trump said he would need to speak directly with Machado and left the door open to her participating in some capacity.
Trump also reiterated his belief that his record on global conflicts speaks for itself, saying few leaders in modern history have achieved comparable results.
Bolton dismissed those comments, accusing Trump of prioritizing personal recognition over long-term strategy. He added that while symbolic gestures are possible, Trump does not fully understand the political realities inside Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Trump has framed U.S. actions in Venezuela largely around economic interests. Following Maduro’s detention, the administration announced that Venezuela’s interim leadership was prepared to make tens of millions of barrels of oil available to the United States. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later confirmed that Venezuelan oil sales to the U.S. would continue indefinitely.
The episode highlights the ongoing divide between President Trump and establishment critics like Bolton—while also underscoring how foreign policy, energy security, and international recognition continue to collide on the global stage.
