Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jan 16: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made a high-profile symbolic gesture during her White House meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, presenting her Nobel Peace Prize medal in what was widely seen as an attempt to secure stronger American backing for Venezuela’s post-Maduro political future.
Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her campaign advocating democratic reforms in Venezuela, handed over the medal as a “personal symbol of gratitude” for Trump’s role in supporting efforts to bring political change in the crisis-hit nation. Trump later acknowledged the gesture on his social media platform, calling it a mark of “mutual respect”, and was photographed holding a framed plaque containing the medal and a dedication praising his actions towards a “free Venezuela”.
However, the move quickly drew clarification from the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, which reiterated that while a medal may change hands, the title of Nobel laureate cannot be transferred or shared.
Despite Machado describing the meeting as “historic” and “extraordinary”, the interaction appeared to yield little concrete political assurance. While she said the Trump administration understood the need to rebuild democratic institutions, protect human rights and push for a genuine electoral process to encourage Venezuelans to return home, there was no explicit endorsement of her leadership ambitions.
Machado remains one of the prominent figures vying for influence in a post-Maduro Venezuela. She has continued to assert that opposition candidate Edmundo González is the country’s legitimate president-elect following the disputed 2024 polls, even as Trump has surprised many anti-Maduro voices by backing former vice president Delcy Rodríguez as acting president.
After the meeting, Machado was seen leaving the White House carrying a Trump-branded gift bag, underscoring the largely symbolic nature of the encounter. For now, the visit appears to have delivered visibility rather than clarity, with Venezuela’s political trajectory — and Washington’s role in shaping it — still uncertain.