US president Donald Trump has praised what he described as a “gesture of mutual respect” after Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to him during a meeting in Washington.
“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump said in his post. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
Machado said the symbolic gesture was meant to recognise Trump’s commitment to Venezuela’s freedom, even as the US president has declined to fully back her politically since the January 3 US military operation that led to the overthrow and arrest of ex-president Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking to reporters outside the US Capitol after meeting lawmakers and having lunch with Trump at the White House, Machado said presenting the medal was an emotional moment and a sign of appreciation. However, it remains unclear whether Trump kept the medal, as Nobel rules do not allow prizes to be transferred.
Despite the show of goodwill, Trump has continued to engage with Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, backing her interim leadership provided it aligns with US interests, particularly access to Venezuela’s oil sector. The White House said Trump was encouraged by recent developments, though Rodriguez warned that her government was not afraid of diplomatic confrontation with Washington.
The Nobel laureate gave her medal to Trump at the White House on Thursday “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom”. Several hours later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Machado “presented me with her Nobel peace prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
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Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year after fleeing Venezuela and has long accused Maduro of rigging the 2024 election, was warmly received by supporters in Washington. US officials described her as a courageous voice for Venezuelans, while reiterating that the administration hopes to see elections in the country in the future, without offering a timeline.
The Nobel Institute had said Machado could not give her prize to Trump, an honor that he has coveted. Even if it the gesture proves to be purely symbolic, it was extraordinary given that Trump has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has signaled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro’s second in command.
“The medal and the diploma are the physical symbols confirming that an individual or organisation has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize itself – the honour and recognition – remains inseparably linked to the person or organisation designated as the laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee,” the statement said
It noted that even if the medal ends up in the possession of someone other than the laureate, it doesn’t change the recorded history.
“Regardless of what may happen to the medal, the diploma, or the prize money, it is and remains the original laureate who is recorded in history as the recipient of the prize. Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” it said.
The Nobel Peace Center said on social media that “a medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel peace prize laureate cannot”. The organisers of the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute, had already said that the prize “cannot be revoked, shared or transferred” when Machado first revealed her plan – a sentiment reiterated by the institute on Friday.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even as he has questioned her credibility to take over her country after the US ousted then-president Nicolás Maduro.