What is the story about?
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a private meeting
at the White House on Thursday. Machado spoke briefly to reporters after the lunch meeting, saying her discussion with Trump went well and that her supporters “could count on the US president,” according to reports.
Trump later posted on Truth Social about his meeting with Machado. He wrote, "It was my Great Honor to meet Maria Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. Maria presented me with the Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect."
The Nobel Peace Prize she won in 2025 cannot be transferred or shared. The Nobel Institute has said prizes are permanent and non-transferable.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Machado in 2025 for her work advocating for democracy and human rights in Venezuela, a country that has been struggling under authoritarian rule and political crisis.
Why Did Machado Present Prize To Trump?
Machado’s gesture appears tied to her view of Trump’s role in recent events in Venezuela, including the US-led operation that ousted former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.
Ahead of the meeting, Machado had publicly offered to share her Nobel Peace Prize with Trump as a symbolic sign of gratitude for what she described as his support for Venezuelan freedom and democratic change. The Nobel Institute, however, had made clear that the prize cannot be legally shared, transferred, or given to another person.
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While Machado said the meeting was positive, the White House made it clear Trump’s view of her leadership has not changed, according to News AZ report.
Trump has historically expressed his belief that he deserved a Nobel Peace Prize for his foreign policy work, even though he did not win one. Machado has built her political profile around defending democratic rights and opposing Maduro’s government, despite facing political persecution and going into hiding before the prize was awarded.
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Observers say Machado’s decision to present her Nobel medal to Trump was intended as a gesture of political alliance and recognition, even as US policy choices have at times favored cooperation with interim Venezuelan authorities.
