Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado met US President Donald Trump at the White House and said she “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to him as a symbol of gratitude for his support of Venezuelan freedom.
The Nobel Committee clarified that while a medal can change hands, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot be transferred or shared with anyone.
The meeting comes amid shifting US–Venezuela relations, with Washington engaging interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, reshaping Venezuela’s oil sector, and considering the future political transition after Nicolás Maduro’s removal.
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, describing the encounter as “a historic day for Venezuelans.” It was their first in-person meeting and came weeks after US forces detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and charged him with drug trafficking.
Speaking after the meeting, Machado said she had “presented” her Nobel medal to Trump as a symbol of gratitude for his support of Venezuelan freedom. Trump later called the gesture “a wonderful act of mutual respect” in a social media post, praising Machado as a courageous leader.
However, the Nobel Committee clarified that while a medal can change hands, the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot be transferred. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others,” the committee reiterated.
Trump has so far stopped short of formally endorsing Machado as Venezuela’s leader, instead engaging with Delcy Rodríguez, who is acting as head of state after Maduro’s removal. The US administration has rapidly reshaped Venezuela’s oil sector, completing its first $500-million sale of Venezuelan crude this week and seizing multiple tankers suspected of evading sanctions.
Machado also met US senators on Capitol Hill, where supporters greeted her with chants of “María, presidente.” She is expected to press Washington to back her opposition coalition as the legitimate transitional authority.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez signaled willingness to engage diplomatically with the US, saying she would visit Washington “standing tall, not crawling.” A Venezuelan envoy is reportedly preparing to reopen the country’s embassy in the US as talks continue.
The developments mark a dramatic shift in US–Venezuela relations and could shape the country’s political transition in the months ahead.
