Venezuelan leader Machado gave her Nobel Prize to Trump (Photo- Reuters)
AP, Washington. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Thursday that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump. Machado said that we are counting on President Trump for the independence of Venezuela. However, the Nobel Institute has clarified that the prize cannot be transferred, shared or cancelled, so the honor will remain with Machado.
Machado, speaking to reporters after meeting at the White House, explained in detail about giving the medal to Trump, but did not clarify whether Trump accepted the medal or not. The White House also did not immediately comment on the matter.
The symbolic move comes at a time when Trump sidelined Machado by recently expressing his desire to work with Venezuela's acting President Delsey Rodriguez. Earlier, when Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, he dedicated the award to the Venezuelan people and Trump.
The meeting was physically risky for Machado, as his whereabouts have been largely unknown since he left the country last year after a brief detention in Caracas. After the closed-door discussion with Trump, he greeted dozens of excited supporters waiting for him near the gate.
Machado then met with more than a dozen senators from both the Republican and Democratic parties on Capitol Hill, where he has typically found more enthusiastic allies.
During the visit, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt said Trump was looking forward to meeting Machado, but remained firm in his "realistic" assessment that he does not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who escaped Venezuela in a daring sea crossing in December, is vying with members of the Venezuelan government to win Trump's trust and ensure she maintains a role in the country's governance in the future.