Venezuela’s Machado meets Trump, presents Nobel Peace Prize to him

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“We can count on President Trump,” Machado told her supporters outside the White House

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado ‘presented’ her Nobel prize to Trump in White House meeting – key US politics stories from Thursday 15 January at a glance

In an apparent attempt to win back Donald Trump’s favour, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters she had “presented” her gold Nobel peace prize medal to the US president during a private meeting at the White House on Thursday.

Machado, who received the award last year for her struggle against Nicolás Maduro’s “brutal, authoritarian state”, told reporters she had done so “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom.” It was not immediately clear whether Trump had accepted the gift.

Trump later wrote his Truth Social platform: “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”

It is unclear whether Trump retained the medal, and he did not post an image of it.

WhileTrump expressed gratitude to have been presented the medal he’s long pined for, the Nobel Peace Center has reiterated its rules of possession several times in recent days.

“Once a Nobel prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” Nobel organizers wrote in a January 9 press release. “The decision is final and stands for all time.”

Earlier Thursday, Nobel organizers posted on

Machado’s dramatic escape from Venezuela to accept the Norwegian prize made headlines in December. Analysts saw her decision to present the award to Trump as an effort to salvage her movement’s waning hopes of taking power now that Maduro was out of the picture and behind bars in New York.

María Corina Machado says she presented Trump with her Nobel peace prize medal
Speaking to reporters, Machado compared handing her medal toTrump to how, in 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette sent a gold medal featuring an image of George Washington to the South American independence hero Simon Bolívar. Machado called Lafayette’s gift “a sign of the brotherhood between the people of the US and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny.”

Trump’s decision not to back Machado after removing Maduro was reportedly the result of curdling relations between her and members of Trump’s team, as well as concerns her movement would be unable to control the security situation in Venezuela.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump on Thursday (January 15, 2026), “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.” Machado detailed having given her prize to Trump in comments to a group of reporters after the meeting, but did not provide further details. The White House did not immediately say if Trump accepted the medal.

That followed her having met with Trump to discuss her country’s future, even though he has rejected her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Visiting Mr.Trump presented something of a physical risk for Ms. Machado, whose whereabouts have been largely unknown since she left her country last year after being briefly detained in Carcass. Nevertheless, after a closed-door discussion with Mr. Trump, she greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the gates — stopping to hug many.

We can count on President Trump,” she told them, prompting some to briefly chant “Thank you, Trump,” but she didn’t elaborate.

The jubilant scene stood in contrast to Mr. Trump having repeatedly raised doubt Machado and his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s Number 2.

Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Ms. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was delivering her first State of the Union speech during Machado’s Washington trip.

In endorsing Ms. Rodríguez so far, Mr. Trump sidelined Ms. Machado, who has long been a face of opposition in Venezuela. That’s despite Ms. Machado sought to cultivate relationships with the president and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government and some of its top conservatives.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Ms. Machado was “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela, but also said that the meeting didn’t mean Mr. Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”

Mr. Trump has said it would be difficult for Ms. Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.

Ms. Leavitt went on to say that Mr. Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might happen.

Trump administration plays down meeting expectations

Ms. Leavitt said Ms. Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without establishing expectations for what would occur. Ms. Machado previously offered to share with Mr. Trump won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, an honor he has coveted.

I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado,” the press secretary said, other than to have a “frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

All told, Ms. Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she’d offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias.” It wasn’t clear she’d heard the question as she hugged and her waiting supporters.

Ms. Machado was next appearing on Capitol Hill, for a meeting in the Senate before planning to speak to journalists.

Her Washington stop began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea confiscated another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.