A gold-plated medal, weighing 196 grams and 6.6 centimeters in diameter, was the star of the event. As she had already anticipated that she would do, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition presented her Nobel Peace Prize to the American president in tribute to his help, during the nearly two-hour meeting at the White House. The genuine one, no replicas. A gesture with which he tried to gain the favor of the Republican, who openly acknowledges his interest in being awarded this recognition and who a day before had praised Machado’s great enemy, the acting president Delcy Rodríguez. The Republican confirmed that he had accepted the gift: “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
“”, confirmed Machado in chaotic statements to the media outside the Capitol, the headquarters of the United States Congress. Later, the tenant of the White House himself spoke about the gift: “It has been my Great Honor to meet with María Corina Machado, from Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through many things. María offered me her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. What a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, María!, he wrote in a message on Truth, his social network.
A very brief message, in which what he said was as significant as his flagrant omissions. Trump, who a day earlier had spoken by phone and had praised Rodríguez, did not allude to the content of his conversation with Machado, nor to the possibility of the activist playing a role in the transition in the South American country. He did not even refer to her as the leader of the opposition, despite the fact that his own Government recognizes the movement of Machado and González Urrutia as the winner of the July 2024 elections.
When announcing the meeting last week, the US president had noted that Machado intended to give him the medal and that, in that case, he would accept it. Although on the eve of the meeting, which included a working lunch, the Republican qualified his statements in an interview with Reuters. Asked if he wanted the opposition leader to give him his award, he replied, “I didn’t say that. She’s the one.”
Apparently in response to the expectation raised around the meeting, the Nobel Committee had recalled this Thursday on social networks that the prize is irrevocable, non-transferable, and cannot be shared, although the owner of the medal can do with it more or less what he wants. Give it away, leave it to your heirs, or even auction it. “A well-known case is that of Dmitri Muratov’s medal, which was auctioned for more than one hundred million dollars to support refugees from the war in Ukraine.” But it leaves no room for doubt: “a medal can change its owner. But the title of winner of the Nobel Peace Prize cannot.”
The activist and politician, who escaped from her hiding place in Venezuela in November to travel to Oslo to receive the award, had declared in an interview with Fox News television host Sean Hannity that she would offer him to share the award.
Photo: Fernando Vergara (AP) | Video: epv
What is the justification for what some—including the acting president of Venezuela, who this Thursday came to accuse Machado of “kneeling” before Trump—consider an act of obeisance? According to the opposition leader, this is a historical reason, which dates back to the wars of independence on the American continent.
The Marquis de Lafayette, a French soldier who enlisted in the ranks of the Army of the thirteen colonies in the United States war of independence against England, gave “200 years ago” a medal to Simón Bolívar, the great hero of the independence of Venezuela and other Latin American countries. That award showed the face of George Washington, who led the rebel troops and ended up as the first president of the new American country. “Bolívar kept that medal for the rest of his life. In fact, when you see his portraits you can see the medal,” Machado noted in his meeting with the press.
“Lafayette gave it to him as a symbol of brotherhood between the people of the United States and the people of Venezuela in the fight against tyranny. 200 years later, the people of Bolívar return a medal to the leader of Washington. In this case, the Nobel Peace Prize medal, in recognition of his special commitment to our freedom,” he narrated.
Whether the opposition leader would present her with her award was one of the great intrigues of this Thursday’s meeting, which took place behind strictly closed doors. Part of the conversations took place in the Oval Office. Part, the time dedicated to lunch, in the small daily dining room attached to the Oval Office, the exit where the tenant of the White House usually eats in his more informal working lunches or more in a petit committee.
Neither of them have offered great details about what they discussed in their conversations. In his interview with Reuters, Trump anticipated that they would deal with “the basics.” And, after another subsequent event at the White House, he responded to a question about it that the talk had gone “well.” Machado has been a little more explicit, and claimed that she was impressed by how aware Trump is about the situation in Venezuela and “how he cares about what the people of Venezuela are suffering.”
But White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt appeared to pour cold water on the opposition leader’s hopes of playing a significant role in the transition process, at least in its early stages. Machado “is a notable and brave voice that represents many people in Venezuela,” he noted. But Trump has decided that he represents the government led by Delcy Rodríguez, after reaching the conclusion that the opposition leader could not guarantee the loyalty of the Armed Forces and other key institutions. In Leavitt’s words, Trump has made a “realistic assessment” when supporting the continuity that Rodríguez represents. That assessment “has not changed at this time,” according to the spokesperson.
The “reality on the ground” that the two leaders had addressed mattered little to the followers of the opposition leader, who in dozens gathered in Lafayette Square, in front of the north portal of the White House, to give her their support with Venezuelan flags and chants. Upon leaving the presidential residence, Machado came out to hug them and assure them that “we are counting on the president for the freedom of Venezuela.”
The same heat—on a day of bright skies and intense cold—was shown to him by his supporters after the event that concluded his activities this Thursday in Washington, a meeting with US senators and congressmen from both parties at the Capitol. Excessive warmth and affection. So much so that the crowd prevented Machado from reaching the scheduled point to hold a press conference. While her supporters implored her for a photo, a comment, one more look, the Capitol Police and her personal escort guided her through a river of people to her vehicle. Without further statements, his vehicle started to get lost among the rest of the cars returning home after a day of work.
