Trump Calls Meeting With Venezuela’s Machado a ‘Great Honour’ After Nobel Prize Gesture

Washington, Jan 2026 : US President Donald Trump on Thursday described his meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as a “great honour”, saying she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize during their closed-door discussions at the White House. The meeting, held over lunch in the Private Dining Room, marked the first in-person encounter between the two leaders and drew significant political and diplomatic attention.

In a social media post following the talks, Trump praised Machado’s resilience and leadership. “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” he wrote. “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much.” Trump added that Machado presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize “for the work I have done”, calling the gesture “a wonderful act of mutual respect”. He concluded the message by thanking her personally.

Machado later clarified that she had presented Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize medal as a symbolic gesture rather than a formal transfer of the award. Speaking to reporters, she framed the act as deeply rooted in the shared democratic history of Venezuela and the United States. She recalled a historical parallel from two centuries ago, when French General Marquis de Lafayette presented Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolívar with a medal bearing the likeness of George Washington.

“That medal stayed with Bolívar for the rest of his life,” Machado said. “Two hundred years later, the people of Bolívar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal — in this case, the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize — as recognition for a unique commitment to our freedom.”

The Norwegian Nobel Institute has made it clear that Nobel Peace Prizes, once awarded, cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked. As such, Machado’s presentation of the medal was understood as a symbolic act rather than a formal bestowal of the prize.

Following her White House meeting, Machado travelled to Capitol Hill for a bipartisan session with US lawmakers. The meeting was hosted by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, underscoring the broad political interest in Venezuela’s democratic future.

Durbin praised Machado’s courage and sacrifices, describing her as “an extraordinary person” who had “risked her life to bring about change for the Venezuelan government and people”. He said she was fully deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her struggle against authoritarian rule.

Shaheen, while commending Machado’s leadership, issued a note of caution. “Removing a dictator is not the same as restoring democracy,” she said, adding that the United States must ensure Venezuela does not “simply transition from one authoritarian to another”. Her remarks reflected ongoing concerns in Washington about the long-term path to democratic governance in Venezuela.

Lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties applauded Machado’s determination and moral authority, though some also voiced criticism of the Trump administration’s broader approach to Venezuela following the removal of Nicolas Maduro from power.

Machado’s visit to the United States followed a private meeting earlier this week with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, where she sought his support for the release of political prisoners in Venezuela. She had reemerged publicly in December after spending 11 months in hiding to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, reaffirming her role as a central figure in Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)