(Washington, DC) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, made a dramatic gesture Thursday by presenting her medal to former President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House.
Machado told reporters she gave Trump the medal “in recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom,” asserting her appreciation for his role in Venezuela’s recent political shifts.
However, the Nobel Institute has clarified that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked once awarded, meaning the symbolic handoff does not officially make Trump a Nobel laureate.
The meeting came amid heightened US–Venezuela diplomatic activity following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and ongoing debates over Venezuela’s political future. Machado’s gesture underscores her desire to align her struggle for democracy with Trump’s foreign policy actions, even as the Nobel committee insists the prize remains hers alone.
Trump described the encounter as positive but has previously expressed reservations about Machado’s political viability.
