Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Thursday that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting. However, she did not specify whether Trump accepted herinforms TASR according to reports from the AFP and Reuters agencies.
Trump received Machado at the White House on Thursday, and it was about them the first personal meeting and it lasted a little more than an hour. Machadová told reporters after the meeting that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump. However, she did not answer their question whether the American president accepted her.
According to the AP agency, she gave him the award as a sign of recognition of Trump’s commitment to Venezuela. During the meeting, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that Trump said he was looking forward to meeting with Machado, but that he stands by his “realistic” assessment that she does not currently have the support necessary to lead the country in the short termquoted by Reuters.
After the US intervention in Venezuela, which led to the overthrow and capture of long-time president Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Trump declared that he did not plan to work with Machado because, according to him, he “has no support or respect” in Venezuela. In her place, he supported Maduro’s deputy and the current interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez.
In an effort to keep Trump’s favor, 58-year-old Machado already announced last week that she would share her Nobel Peace Prize with the US president. Trump previously indicated that she could give it to him when they meet, AFP recalls.
However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee pointed out in this regard that this is not possible and that the prize is non-transferable. “Once a Nobel Prize is awarded, it cannot be taken away, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and valid forever.” said the committee’s post on Platform X.
After the meeting with Trump, Machadová also met with her supporters in front of the White House. “Be sure that we can count on President Trump for the freedom of Venezuela,” she said, according to the DPA agency. She described the meeting with Trump as “very good”.
