Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump on Thursday during a White House meeting in a bid to influence his efforts to shape her country’s political future.
A White House official confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal.
In a social media post Thursday night, Trump wrote: “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I did. A wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!”
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Machado, who described the meeting as “excellent,” said the gift was in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Later, the White House published a photo of Trump and Machado in which the president holds a large gold frame with the medal.
The text accompanying the photo read: “To President Donald J. Trump, in gratitude for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength,” and labeled the gesture as a “personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people.”
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Machado’s attempt to influence Trump came after he rejected the idea of placing her as leader of Venezuela to replace the deposed Nicolás Maduro.
Trump campaigned openly for the award before Machado received it last month and complained when he was not chosen.
Although Machado gave Trump the gold medal that honorees receive with the award, the honor remains hers; the Norwegian Nobel Institute said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked.
Asked on Wednesday if he wanted Machado to give him the award, Trump told Reuters: “No, I didn’t say that. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The Republican president has long expressed interest in winning the award and has sometimes linked it to diplomatic achievements.
The lunch, which lasted just over an hour, marked the first time the two met in person. Machado next met with more than a dozen senators, both Republicans and Democrats, on Capitol Hill, where she generally found more enthusiastic allies.
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During the visit, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was eager to meet Machado, but that he maintained his “realistic” assessment that she does not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the near term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring escape by sea in December, is competing for Trump’s ear with members of the Venezuelan government and seeks to secure a role in the country’s future government.
After the US captured longtime Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro this month, opposition figures, members of the Venezuelan diaspora and politicians from the US and Latin America expressed hope that Venezuela would begin the process of democratization.
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Hopes for a shift to democracy
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the senators who met with Machado, said the opposition leader had told senators that repression in Venezuela was no different now than it was under Maduro. Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, is a “smooth operator” who is becoming more established every day thanks to Trump’s support, he said.
“I hope the election happens, but I’m skeptical,” said Murphy, of Connecticut.
For now, Trump said he is focused on rebuilding Venezuela’s economy and securing U.S. access to the country’s oil.
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On several occasions, Trump praised Rodríguez, Maduro’s second-in-command, who became Venezuela’s leader after his capture. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Trump said: “She’s been really good dealing with.”
Separately, in Venezuela, Rodríguez said he would propose reforms in his country’s oil sector.
Machado was banned from running in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential elections by a high court filled with Maduro’s allies. Outside observers widely believe that Edmundo González, an opposition figure backed by Machado, won by a substantial margin, but Maduro claimed victory and retained power.
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Although the current government has released dozens of political prisoners in recent days, outside groups and advocates have said the scale of the releases has been exaggerated by Caracas.
In an annual speech to parliamentarians, Rodríguez defended diplomacy with the United States and said that, if he needed to travel to Washington, he would do so “walking on his own two feet, not being dragged there”.
