Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump in a private meeting at the White House on Thursday as a symbolic acknowledgement of his backing for the fight for freedom in Venezuela.
Calling the encounter, “a historic day for Venezuelans,” Machado said the meeting was the first face-to-face meeting between her and Trump. The visit came weeks after the US forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and arrested him in a case of drug trafficking, dramatically changing the political landscape of the country.
After the meeting, Trump thanked Machado for the gift of the Nobel medal in a social media post, calling the gift of the Nobel medal “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” He also called it a “great honour” to meet Machado as a “wonderful woman who has been through so much.”
However, Trump has gone no further and has not called her the new leader of Venezuela, though her opposition movement has said that she won the country’s much-disputed elections in 2024.
Instead, the US administration has persisted in dealing with Venezuela’s acting head of state, Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice-president under Maduro.
While Trump has previously called Machado a “freedom fighter,” he has argued that she does not have enough domestic support to lead the country in the transition.
Speaking to supporters outside the White House Machado said, “We can count on President Trump.” Later, she told reporters that the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize was given to Trump as “a recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom.”
The Nobel Committee has since reiterated the claim that although the medal may be given to another person, the Nobel Peace Prize itself cannot be transferred, shared or revoked. “The title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate is irremovable,” the committee said.
During her visit to Washington she also met members of Congress as her supporters chanted “Maria, presidente” and wielded Venezuelan flags.
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