Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize Winner Presents Medal To Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Laureate, María Corina Machado, has presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to United States President Donald Trump, describing the gesture as recognition of his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom.

“I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans,” Machado said after meeting Trump at the White House, her first in-person meeting with the US president. The meeting comes weeks after US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and charged him with drug trafficking offences in the US.

Machado later told journalists: “I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize… as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”

Trump acknowledged the gesture in a post on social media, describing it as “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” and said it was a “great honour” to meet Machado, whom he called “a wonderful woman who has been through so much.”

Despite the meeting, Trump stopped short of endorsing Machado as Venezuela’s new leader, even as her movement claims victory in the country’s widely disputed 2024 elections. Instead, the US has continued to engage with Venezuela’s acting head of state, Delcy Rodríguez, was the vice-president under Maduro.

After leaving the White House, Machado addressed supporters gathered outside, telling them in Spanish, according to the Associated Press: “We can count on President Trump.”

Machado, who also visited members of the US Congress, said the symbolic gesture echoed a historical bond between both countries. She referenced the Marquis de Lafayette’s gift of a medal bearing George Washington’s likeness to Simón Bolívar, describing her action as “a sign of the brotherhood” between Venezuela and the US in their “fight for freedom against tyranny.”

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has intensified engagement with Venezuela following Maduro’s removal, including moves to reshape the country’s oil sector. US officials confirmed the completion of a first sale of Venezuelan oil valued at $500 million, alongside the seizure of oil tankers suspected of violating sanctions.

Rodríguez, who remains Washington’s primary interlocutor, is expected to send an envoy to the US to begin steps toward reopening Venezuela’s embassy. She also signalled openness to diplomacy, saying: “If I ever have to go to Washington as acting president, I will do so standing tall… not crawling.”

Trump, who spoke with Rodríguez by phone earlier in the week, later described her as “a terrific person,” while Rodríguez characterised the call as “productive and courteous” and marked by “mutual respect”.