According to the Nobel Institute, Machado was unable to award Trump with her prize, an honor he has long desired. However, Trump plans to keep the medal, according to a White House official.
Maria Corina Machado, the head of the opposition in Venezuela, eventually presented US President Donald Trump with a Nobel Peace Prize medal. The current laureate took a chance to win over the Republican who recently refused to back her challenge to the country’s ruling dictatorship. Prior to Trump’s decision earlier this month to first remove longtime Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and then support his successor, Machado was her country’s democratic leader-in-waiting.
Trump praised the Venezuelan leader for giving him “her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” following their meeting at the White House.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much,” and that Machado giving him the medal was “such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
Is Machado Going to Get Her Nobel Prize?
According to the Nobel Institute, Machado was unable to award Trump with her prize, an honor he has long desired. Given that Trump has essentially marginalized Machado, who has long been the face of resistance in Venezuela, the act was remarkable even if it turns out to be just symbolic.
Trump plans to keep the medal, a White House official told news agency Reuters.
Machado’s Remarks
Machado told reporters, “I presented the president of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” as he left the White House and made his way to Capitol Hill. According to her, she did this “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
The action was taken after Trump cast doubt on his purported pledge to support democratic governance in Venezuela by failing to provide a timeline for potential election dates.
Machado’s leadership would be challenging, according to Trump, as she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Most people believe her party won the 2024 elections that Maduro boycotted. Additionally, he has indicated that he is open to collaborating with Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president and Maduro’s deputy.
On Thursday, Machado said that throughout their conversation, he had not given many details. She didn’t elaborate on what was said. Following the private encounter, Machado welcomed and gave hugs to scores of enthusiastic supporters who were waiting for her outside the White House gates.
She said, “We can count on President Trump,” without providing further details, which caused some of them to briefly chant, “Thank you, Trump.”
Machado had not been seen in public since her trip to Norway last month, where her daughter accepted the peace prize on her behalf, prior to her visit to Washington. Before making an appearance in Norway during the event, she had been in hiding in Venezuela for eleven months.
