Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday that she had presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump, an emotional gesture aimed at winning over an American leader who has largely sidelined her since the U.S.-led operation that toppled former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Machado described the meeting with Trump at the White House as deeply symbolic, saying the former president “deserves” the award for what she called his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom. Trump, who has long complained that he was overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize, praised the move as a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” though it remained unclear whether he formally accepted or retained the medal. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has said its prizes cannot be transferred.
The encounter highlighted the complex and often contradictory U.S. approach to Venezuela following the January 3 military operation that captured Maduro and transferred him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges, which he denies. Despite Washington’s support for opposition claims that Maduro stole the 2024 election, Trump has chosen to work with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, now serving as interim president, provided she aligns with U.S. priorities, particularly continued access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Machado, 58, told reporters outside the U.S. Capitol that presenting the medal was meant as recognition of Trump’s role in confronting Maduro’s rule. She later told Fox News that the moment was emotional, underscoring her efforts to position herself as a key ally of Washington after years of campaigning against Venezuela’s leftist government. Her overture comes after Trump publicly said the Nobel Prize should have gone to him and declined to back Machado in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s ouster.
Trump and Rodríguez held their first phone call on Wednesday, with the White House saying the president “likes what he’s seeing” from Venezuela’s interim leadership. Rodríguez, however, struck a defiant tone in remarks to parliament on Thursday, saying her government was not afraid of a diplomatic confrontation with Washington, even as it pursued dialogue. She delivered Maduro’s annual state of the nation address while the former leader remains jailed in New York.
The United States has continued to tighten its grip on Venezuela’s oil sector, seizing a sixth oil tanker as part of efforts to control exports. A U.S. official also confirmed that the first U.S.-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil, valued at about $500 million, has been finalized, though the buyer was not disclosed. Rodríguez announced plans for legal reforms to the oil industry that could ease restrictions on foreign participation, but offered few details.
Washington has welcomed the release of dozens of political prisoners in recent days, although hundreds remain detained. Meanwhile, the broader regional fallout from Maduro’s removal continues. Cuba on Thursday held a ceremony honoring 32 soldiers killed during the U.S. operation, including members of Maduro’s protection detail, with revolutionary leader Raúl Castro in attendance.
As Machado was greeted by cheering supporters after leaving the White House, the contrast with her uncertain political standing was stark. While Trump praised her courage and reiterated his hope for elections in Venezuela “one day,” his administration has so far placed its bets on pragmatic cooperation with the interim government, leaving the opposition leader’s future role in question despite her dramatic appeal to American power.
