Two weeks after U.S. special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House for their first in-person meeting.
Maria Corina Machado and the Nobel Peace Prize
With Venezuela’s future uncertain, Machado presented her recently won Nobel Peace Prize to Trump, who has long expressed a desire to receive the award.
The two posed for a photo in front of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office, with Trump holding a large golden frame encasing the medal.
Did Trump Accept the Nobel Peace Prize?
An unnamed White House official confirmed to ABC News that Trump had agreed to keep the award. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, “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 her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!” Trump added.
Why did Machado win the Prize?
Machado, 58, is the leader of the Venezuelan opposition party, Vente Venezuela, and a staunch critic of Maduro. In 2023, she won the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primary, positioning her to challenge Maduro in the 2024 presidential elections.
However, Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice upheld a ban preventing Machado from running for office, citing claims of support for U.S. sanctions, links to a weapons plot, and causing losses to Venezuelan assets like Citgo and Monomeros.
Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia replaced Machado as the opposition’s presidential candidate, and she campaigned for him. Maduro ultimately won the election, which was disputed and faced accusations of fraud from within and outside Venezuela, including from a panel of United Nations experts. Nine Latin American countries demanded a review of the election results.
Machado secretly left Venezuela in December to travel to Oslo to collect her prize after spending more than a year in hiding and defying a decade-long travel ban.
The Nobel Committee stated that Machado was awarded the prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy”.
Why did Machado give Trump the Nobel Prize?
Trump’s desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize is well known. Before the 2025 prize announcement, Trump repeatedly suggested he deserved to win it and claimed it would be an “big insult” to the U.S. if he did not.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September 2025, Trump said, “Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.” He claimed to have ended seven wars – between Cambodia and Thailand; Kosovo and Serbia; the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda; Pakistan and India; Israel and Iran; Egypt and Ethiopia; and Armenia and Azerbaijan – and oversaw the signing of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
Analysts have pointed out that several of these conflicts remain active, with continued tensions and violence.
Trump has openly expressed frustration with not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, stating on Truth Social, “I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The White House posted a picture of Trump and Machado with the framed prize. The text on the frame read: “Presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people, in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action in pursuit of a free Venezuela.”
Machado told reporters the meeting was “excellent” and that she presented Trump with the medal as “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom”.
Does that mean the Nobel Prize is Trump’s now?
According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, a Nobel Prize cannot be revoked, reallocated, or transferred. While Trump can hold the physical prize, the award remains with Machado.
The Nobel Peace Center account on X reiterated this, stating, “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”
What does this mean for Venezuela?
Maduro, 63, was abducted by U.S. special forces during an operation in Caracas on January 3. Since his abduction, questions have arisen regarding Venezuela’s leadership and Trump’s potential backing for a new leader.
Trump quickly ruled out supporting Machado as the leader of Venezuela, stating, “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”
Sources close to the White House reported to The Washington Post that Trump withheld support from Machado because she accepted the Nobel Prize instead of refusing it. One source called accepting the award the “ultimate sin.”
Instead, Trump has backed Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president. Rodriguez has expressed eagerness to work with the U.S.
During the meeting between Machado and Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump had been looking forward to meeting Machado, but stood by his “realistic” view that Machado lacks the backing required to lead the country at this time.
Trump spoke to Rodriguez over the phone on Wednesday, describing the call as “very good” in a Truth Social post. He stated, “Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
Rodriguez described the conversation as long, productive and courteous, saying they discussed a bilateral agenda aimed at benefitting both countries.
Machado left the White House carrying an official gift bag stamped with Trump’s gold facsimile signature, but it was unclear whether she departed with a better understanding of Washington’s plans for Venezuela’s future.
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