Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize at the White House on Thursday, January 15 (US time). While he had only positive words to share after “accepting” the prize he’s long coveted but ended up losing to her in 2025, he also didn’t back away from questioning her credibility to take over the country following the US attack on Venezuela and then-President Nicolas Maduro’s ouster.
Machado presents Nobel Peace Prize to Trump at White House
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters after leaving the White House.
“I told him this,” she continued. “Two hundred years ago General (Marquis de) Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar since then kept the medal for the rest of his life.”
“Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Even before actually handing the prize to Trump, Machado had already dedicated it to the American leader after she won it last year.
The Venezuelan opposition leader ultimately described her meeting the POTUS as “historic” and “extraordinary.” Meanwhile, she told US Senators in a different meeting, “Venezuela into a free and safe country, and into the strongest ally the United States has ever had in this region. We are a deeply pro-American society.”
Taking to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump eventually heaped praises onto Machado. “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!” he wrote online.
Elsewhere, as the meeting between Trump and Machado got underway, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the POTUS’ assessment of the Venezuelan leader had not changed.
“I know the president was looking forward to this meeting, and he was expecting it to be a good and positive discussion with Ms. Machado, who is really a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela,” Leavitt said at a press briefing on Thursday.
She also maintained that Trump believed that Machado lacked crucial support to lead the South American country. “It was a realistic assessment based on what the president was reading and hearing from his advisers and national security team, and at this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed,” Leavitt added.
Where does the Nobel Committee stand
Hours before US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s meeting at the White House, the Nobel Committee had already reiterated its stance regarding the Peace Prize’s ownership and laureate recipients.
The Nobel Peace Centre reasserted that while the Peace Prize medals have been “passed on,” it simply can’t be shared or transferred to other. Taking to their official X account, the committee wrote, “But one truth remains. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee states: “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”
“A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”
The pointed message shared in a lengthy tweet on Thursday reiterated the official statement they published last week.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status,” NobelPeacePrize.Org stated on January 9. “The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”