Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a private White House meeting, their first in-person encounter. Trump thanked her publicly, calling the gesture a sign of mutual respect, though he has not endorsed Machado as Venezuela’s leader and continues to work with acting head of state Delcy Rodríguez.
Machado told supporters she could “count on President Trump” and described the medal as recognition of his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom, despite the Nobel Committee stressing the prize cannot be transferred. The meeting comes weeks after US forces seized President Nicolás Maduro and charged him with drug trafficking, as Washington moves to reshape Venezuela’s oil sector and re-engage diplomatically with Rodríguez’s interim government.
