Venezuelan opposition leader presents Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during their private meeting in the United States
Washington – United News Network – Diplomatic developments between the United States and Venezuela have continued, as Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado revealed that she presented the Nobel Peace Prize medal, which she received last year, to US President Donald Trump during a private meeting at the White House yesterday, Thursday, although she did not clarify whether the latter accepted it.
“I believe that today is a historic day for us Venezuelans,” Machado said after her meeting with Trump, the first time they have met face-to-face.
In the weeks following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas by US forces, Trump refused to endorse Machado—whose party came to power following the famous and contested 2024 elections—as the country’s new leader.
Trump instead turned to dealing with the interim head of state, Delcy Rodríguez, who was a former vice president to Maduro.
After leaving the White House, Machado spoke to supporters gathered outside the gate and told them in Spanish, as reported by the Associated Press: “We can count on President Trump.”
“I presented the US President with the Nobel Peace Prize medal,” Machado later told reporters in English, noting that it was a “translation of recognition for his unique enthusiasm toward our freedom.”
It remains unclear whether Trump accepted the prize. The President, who often expresses his desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, had previously expressed dissatisfaction when the prize was awarded to Machado and she decided to accept it last year.
Machado said last week that she would share the prize with Trump, but the Nobel Committee later clarified that it is non-transferable and non-divisible.
In her remarks, Machado recounted the story of a military general who fought in the American Revolutionary War and presented a medal to Simón Bolívar, one of the founding fathers of modern Venezuela.
She explained that the medal was given as a “symbol of loyalty between the United States and its people and Venezuela and its people in their battle for freedom against injustice,” saying: “In about 200 years of history, the people of Bolívar give the successor of the fathers of independence a medal—in this case, the Nobel Peace Prize medal—as an acknowledgment of his unique enthusiasm toward our freedom.”
Machado visited Congress to meet with US senators during her visit to Washington, where her words to reporters were drowned out by the chants of supporters shouting “Maria, President” and waving Venezuelan flags.
It was rumored that Machado would use her meeting with Trump to try to convince him that supporting the interim Rodríguez government is a mistake, and that her opposition leadership should lead this transition.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during the meeting that Machado is a “wonderful and brave voice for many Venezuelans.”
“The President was looking forward to this meeting and expected a frank and positive discussion,” Leavitt said. “The President wants to hear directly from Ms. Machado about the truth on the ground in Venezuela and what is happening in the country.”
Trump previously described Machado as a “freedom fighter,” but he rejected the idea of appointing her to assume the Venezuelan presidency after his removal of Maduro, considering that she lacks sufficient popular support.
Since Maduro’s arrest on January 3, the Trump administration has worked quickly to reshape the Venezuelan oil sector, which had been subject to a US embargo. A US official said Wednesday that the United States had completed its first sales deals of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million (£373 million).
The official Venezuelan diplomat will arrive to visit Washington today, Thursday, to meet US officials and take the first steps toward reopening the Venezuelan embassy, according to the New York Times.
According to reports, the diplomat will be a close associate and personal friend of Rodríguez, whom the White House described as “possessing great integrity.”
Rodríguez, the country’s interim president, also delivered her annual speech to the people in Caracas yesterday, saying she is ready to attend meetings in Washington as well.
“If I have to go to Washington as interim president, I will do so standing up; I will pave the way and I will not prostrate,” Rodríguez said, while simultaneously calling on the people to speed up “diplomacy” with the United States.
Presidents Trump and Rodríguez spoke with each other by phone yesterday, Wednesday, and Trump later confirmed on social media that his counterpart is a “wonderful person.” Rodríguez described the conversation as “productive and polite” and characterized by “mutual respect.”
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