Nobel medal was given to Trump and Machado got a red bag in return.
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Digital Desk, New Delhi. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House on January 15. Machado, a critic of Nicolás Maduro, won the award in 2025 for her campaign to advance democracy in her country.
According to CNN, she left the medal at the White House in the hope that the move would garner some significant US support as she prepares to take on the role of future Venezuelan leader after Maduro.
Will Trump help Machado?
A White House official told Reuters that Trump wants to keep the medal. If the purpose of this move was to garner clearer support from the President, it appears that the effort has failed, at least for now. Machado was later seen carrying a Trump-branded swag bag as she left the White House. However, questions still remain regarding his political future.
What's inside the Trump-branded swag bag?
According to reports, it is not known what was found in the red bag gifted to Machado. President Trump's signature was in golden print on it. But according to Page Six, VIP guests were given special goodie bags during the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term as US President in January 2025.
The swag bags given to Trump and his family's special guests reportedly included a medallion depicting Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, a large red leather journal with gold embossing with a sketch of the U.S. Capitol, a red leather coin with the Capitol building, and a glittering White House Christmas ornament.
The VIPs also received a commemorative glass bottle of Diet Coke with the inscription, "Inauguration Ceremony for Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, January 20, 2025."
Is Trump's bag given only to special guests?
According to separate reports, the Trump-branded swag bags are only for select guests and VIPs. Even during Trump's 2017 swearing-in ceremony, such White House-approved bags were distributed to certain people.
The white and navy canvas tote bags featured the official swearing-in logo that read "Presidential Inauguration Donald Trump – Mike Pence" and were designed with a double shoulder strap and zip closure, US Weekly reported.
The bags contained a variety of memorabilia, such as a red baseball cap with Make America Great Again embroidered with Trump's signature, a White House key chain, a counterfeit $100 bill with Trump's image, an I Was There pin, and a small gold inauguration pin.
Machado got the Nobel Prize but Trump took the Nobel Medal.
The White House released a photo on January 15, 2026, showing Trump and Machado, with the US President holding a large, gold-colored frame containing the medal. The accompanying caption read, "Thank you to President Donald J. Trump for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength." The gesture was described as a personal token of gratitude from the Venezuelan people.
Although Machado handed over the gold medal that came with the award, the Nobel honor will remain his. The Oslo-based Nobel Peace Center later clarified that Nobel medals cannot be shared or transferred. "The owner of a medal can change, but not the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate," the committee said in a post on X.
Also read: 'Extremely shameful', uproar over awarding Nobel Medal to Trump; Questions raised on Machado's move