Venezuelan Opposition Leader Gifts Trump Nobel Peace Prize Medal in Oval Office Visit
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made headlines Thursday after presenting her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a private meeting at the White House.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado told reporters on Capitol Hill, confirming the extraordinary gesture. A photo taken inside the Oval Office showed Trump holding the encased medal with Machado at his side. The medal’s inscription read, “To President Donald J. Trump. In gratitude for your extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy, and defending liberty and prosperity.”
The medal was given as a symbol of Venezuela’s appreciation for Trump’s efforts in opposing Nicolás Maduro’s regime. “The courage of America, and its President Donald J. Trump, will never be forgotten by the Venezuelan people,” the inscription concluded.
Trump responded with gratitude, writing on Truth Social that it was his “great honor” to meet Machado. “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. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María,” Trump wrote.
Machado, who received the Nobel last October for her relentless campaign to restore democracy in Venezuela, offered a historical parallel while presenting the award. She recalled that over 200 years ago, the Marquis de Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal bearing George Washington’s face as a symbol of solidarity. Machado framed her gift to Trump as a continuation of that tradition.
“Two hundred years on in history, the people of Bolívar are giving back to the heir of George Washington a medal,” she said. “In this case, a medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The meeting between Trump and Machado lasted roughly two and a half hours. They shared a private lunch at the White House, where Machado praised Trump for his leadership and decisive actions that contributed to the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Trump, who has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize multiple times, had recently told Sean Hannity that receiving the medal from Machado would be a “great honor.” Machado had previously stated her willingness to either give or share the award with Trump, calling his actions “historic.”
The Nobel Committee issued a reminder ahead of the meeting, stating that while a medal can change hands, the title of Nobel laureate does not. Trump appeared unfazed by the technicality, focusing instead on what the gesture symbolized.
In a surprising post-meeting note, Trump also expressed support for Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president. He praised Rodríguez as a “terrific person” following a phone conversation the previous day.