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Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado says she handed her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump during their first face-to-face meeting on Thursday, calling the discussion “excellent.” She said the gesture was meant to acknowledge Trump’s stance on supporting Venezuelan freedom, though it remains unclear whether he formally accepted it.
The move appears to be part of Machado’s strategy to influence Washington’s role in shaping Venezuela’s political future. Despite her offering the medal, the Nobel Institute later reiterated that the award legally remains hers and cannot be transferred. Trump himself told Reuters he never asked for the prize and acknowledged that Machado was the rightful recipient.
Their meeting lasted a little over an hour, after which Machado met several U.S. senators from both parties. During the visit, the White House said Trump had been eager to meet her, but maintained his view that she currently lacks the support to lead Venezuela in the near term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in December, is competing for political space as various factions position themselves following the U.S. capture of former president Nicolás Maduro. Many in the region hope the development could lead to democratic reforms.
Senators who met Machado said she described ongoing repression in Venezuela and warned that interim leader Delcy Rodriguez was consolidating power. Trump has praised Rodriguez in recent interviews and emphasized U.S. interest in Venezuela’s oil sector and reconstruction.
Machado remains barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 election, and although opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez is widely believed to have won, Maduro claimed victory. Meanwhile, the government has announced the release of political prisoners—numbers that observers say have been overstated.
