Washington (QNN)- Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has given her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, claiming it was a recognition of his commitment to her country's freedom, weeks after the US abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
"I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans," she said after meeting Trump in person for the first time.
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Trump expressed his gratitude in a social media post, saying the move was "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".
However, the US president has declined to endorse Machado as Venezuela's new leader. Trump has instead been dealing with the acting head of state in Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
"I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told journalists, calling it "a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom".
For months, Trump had made no secret of his desire for the prize, tweeting, speaking, and basically declaring to the world that he alone deserved it. He had expressed displeasure when it was given to Machado and she decided to accept the honour last year.
Machado said last week that she would share it with Trump, but the Nobel Committee later clarified that it was not transferable.
"Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others," the committee said in a statement last week. "The decision is final and stands for all time."
Before the White House meeting on Thursday, the Nobel Peace Center posted on X that "a medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot".
Since Maduro was abducted on 3 January, the Trump administration has moved quickly to take control of Venezuela's oil sector. On Wednesday, an American official said the US had completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at $500m (£373m).
Oil tankers suspected of transporting sanctioned Venezuelan oil have also been seized by the US, with US forces saying they had boarded a sixth tanker on Thursday.
Machado, 58, is an industrial engineer turned opposition leader. Courts prevented her from running in the 2024 presidential election by a 15-year disqualification, based on her involvement in a corruption plot linked to Juan Guaidó that led to a criminal blockade and seizure of Venezuela’s assets abroad.
She has positioned herself as a key figure in the opposition, advocating for “democratic reforms” while maintaining strong ties with Israel and the West.
Machado has consistently expressed strong affiliation with Israel. In April 2024, during Israel’s attacks on Iran, she called Iran’s response “unacceptable” and voiced solidarity with the occupation state of Israel and its settlers. She has highlighted Venezuela’s diplomatic relations with Iran as a potential “global risk”, framing her pro-Israel stance as part of a strategy to strengthen Venezuela’s alignment with the West.
In January 2025, she thanked Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for “support for Venezuela’s sovereignty and electoral situation.”
Machado has publicly stated that if elected president, she would restore full diplomatic relations with Israel, including the possible relocation of Venezuela’s embassy to the occupied Palestinian capital city of Jerusalem.
Reports from 2018 reveal that Machado asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted now by the ICC for war crimes in Gaza, to consider military intervention in Venezuela.
