Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented U.S. President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a White House meeting on Thursday, a symbolic gesture aimed at shaping Washington’s approach to Venezuela’s future.
U.S. President Trump meets with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize, in Washington, D.C, U.S., released January 15, 2026. Daniel Torok/The White House/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
A White House official confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal as reported in Reuters. In a social media post later that day, Trump wrote that Machado had presented him with the prize “for the work I have done,” calling it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
Machado described the meeting as “excellent” and said the medal was offered in recognition of Trump’s commitment to what she called the freedom of the Venezuelan people. The White House later released a photograph of Trump holding a framed display containing the medal, accompanied by text praising his “extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength.”
Although Machado handed over the physical medal that accompanies the Nobel Peace Prize, the award itself remains hers. The Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked. Trump, who has previously expressed interest in winning the Nobel Peace Prize, told Reuters earlier this week that Machado was the rightful recipient.
The lunch meeting, which lasted slightly more than an hour, marked the first in-person encounter between Trump and Machado. It came after Trump rejected the idea of installing her as Venezuela’s leader following the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado stands with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT), as she meets U.S. senators after her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
After leaving the White House, Machado met with more than a dozen U.S. senators from both parties on Capitol Hill, where she has found broader support. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Machado told lawmakers that repression in Venezuela had not eased and that interim President Delcy Rodriguez was becoming more entrenched with U.S. backing.
Trump has said his priorities in Venezuela include securing U.S. access to the country’s oil and supporting economic rebuilding, rather than focusing on immediate democratic change. He has repeatedly praised Rodriguez, who assumed leadership after Maduro’s capture, describing her as “very good to deal with.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves from a vehicle as she leaves the U.S. Capitol after a meeting with U.S. senators, following an earlier meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Machado was barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election by a court aligned with Maduro. While opposition figures and observers believe her ally Edmundo Gonzalez won that vote, Maduro claimed victory and stayed in power until his capture.
Rodriguez has since called for diplomacy with the United States and proposed reforms to Venezuela’s oil sector to expand access for foreign investors, even as critics question the scale of recent political prisoner releases announced by Caracas.
