Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump on Thursday (January 15, 2026), “as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.” Machado detailed having given her prize to Trump in comments to a group of reporters after the meeting, but did not provide further details. The White House did not immediately say if Trump accepted the medal.
That followed her having met with Trump to discuss her country’s future, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Visiting Mr. Trump presented something of a physical risk for Ms. Machado, whose whereabouts have been largely unknown since she left her country last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. Nevertheless, after a closed-door discussion with Mr. Trump, she greeted dozens of cheering supporters waiting for her near the gates — stopping to hug many.
“We can count on President Trump,” she told them, prompting some to briefly chant “Thank you, Trump,” but she didn’t elaborate.
The jubilant scene stood in contrast to Mr. Trump having repeatedly raised doubts about Ms. Machado and his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela. He has signalled his willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s Number 2.
Along with others in the deposed leader’s inner circle, Ms. Rodríguez remains in charge of day-to-day government operations and was delivering her first state of the union speech during Machado’s Washington trip.
In endorsing Ms. Rodríguez so far, Mr. Trump sidelined Ms. Machado, who has long been a face of resistance in Venezuela. That’s despite Ms. Machado seeking to cultivate relationships with the president and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a gamble to ally herself with the U.S. government and some of its top conservatives.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Ms. Machado “a remarkable and brave voice” for the people of Venezuela, but also said that the meeting didn’t mean Mr. Trump’s opinion of her changed, calling it “a realistic assessment.”
Mr. Trump has said it would be difficult for Ms. Machado to lead because she “doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.” Her party is widely believed to have won 2024 elections rejected by Maduro.
Ms. Leavitt went on to say that Mr. Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.
Trump administration plays down meeting expectations
Ms. Leavitt said Ms. Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Ms. Machado previously offered to share with Mr. Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honour he has coveted.
“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado,” the press secretary said, other than to have a ”frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
All told, Ms. Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she’d offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias.” It wasn’t clear she’d heard the question as she hugged and her waiting supporters.
Ms. Machado was next appearing on Capitol Hill, for a meeting in the Senate before planning to speak to reporters.
Her Washington stop began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.
It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after US forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
Ms. Leavitt said Venezuela’s interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez’s government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.
Ms. Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Mr. Trump then she did immediately after Maduro’s ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration’s “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela — at least for now.
Mr. Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Ms. Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.
“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
Published – January 16, 2026 02:45 am IST
