In a surprising move, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House. Machado, who was awarded the prestigious prize last year, described the gesture as “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
The meeting between Machado and Trump comes just weeks after US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and charged him in a drug-trafficking case. Machado, whose opposition coalition claims victory in the widely contested 2024 election, has been pushing for the US to back her as Venezuela’s new leader, rather than Maduro’s former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, who is currently acting as head of state.
Machado told reporters that she believes Trump is a “wonderful man who has been through so much” and that she is confident the US president can be counted on to support Venezuela’s fight for freedom. However, the Nobel committee has since clarified that the prize itself is not transferable, and that the decision to award it to Machado “cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.”
In her remarks, Machado drew a historical parallel, describing how the Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in the American Revolutionary War, had given a medal bearing the likeness of George Washington to Simon Bolívar, one of the founding fathers of modern Venezuela. Machado sees this gesture as a “sign of the brotherhood” between her country and the US “in their fight for freedom against tyranny.”
The White House has praised Machado as “a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela,” and Trump has previously described her as a “freedom fighter.” However, the president has stopped short of endorsing Machado as Venezuela’s new leader, arguing that she lacks sufficient domestic support.
Freddy Guevara, a co-founder of the opposition Venezuelan party Voluntad Popular, told the BBC that Machado’s gesture is not a “tactic so Trump can appoint her” but rather a sincere belief that it is the “right thing to do for the freedom of Venezuela.” The opposition’s focus, Guevara said, remains on securing democratic elections for the country.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has been quick to remake Venezuela’s oil sector, which had been under US sanctions. On Wednesday, an American official confirmed the US had completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500 million. The US has also seized several oil tankers suspected of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
As the situation in Venezuela continues to unfold, the meeting between Machado and Trump has added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing political and economic turmoil in the country.
