Venezuelan Nobel winner gifts her medal to Trump

The US president called Maria Corina Machado’s move a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect”

Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who openly supported the US military operation against her socialist-run country, has gifted her medal to President Donald Trump.

The US president has long publicly coveted the award, but the Nobel Committee stated unequivocally last week that even if a medal itself changes owners, the title of a Peace Prize laureate “can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others.”

“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told supporters after closed-door talks with Trump at the White House on Thursday.

“Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” Trump said in a brief post on Truth Social hours after meeting “a wonderful woman who has been through so much.”

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Machado, who previously led anti-government protests and accused Maduro of “stealing” the 2024 elections from her, told cheering supporters, “We can count on President Trump.”

However, the White House played down the encounter’s significance. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” but stressed the meeting did not reflect a change in Trump’s “realistic assessment.”

Trump has consistently dismissed Machado’s ability to replace Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, stating shortly after the US military raid that captured him that she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”

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Instead, the US president has signaled a willingness to work with the interim government of socialist Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, whom he praised as a “terrific person” after a long phone call this week.

Machado’s visit coincided with continued US efforts to control Venezuelan oil assets, including the seizure of another sanctioned tanker, and occurred as Rodriguez was delivering a State of the Union address in Caracas. The Trump administration noted Rodriguez’s government is “cooperating” with Washington, including by releasing prisoners detained under Maduro.

Machado, who previously led anti-government protests and accused Maduro of “illegally” seizing power during the 2024 elections, fled Venezuela last year. Following the White House visit, she proceeded to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill who are less skeptical of her candidacy.