María Corina Machado Gifts Trump Her Nobel Peace Prize Medal at White House Amid Venezuela Power Clash
Venezuelan opposition head Maria Corina Machado said Thursday that she “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump, who has openly coveted the award that the Nobel committee says cannot be transferred.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) January 16: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado announced Thursday (16 January 2026) that she had presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal at the White House for President Donald Trump while he contested her ability to seize her country after the U.S. ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
“I presented the President of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize,” Ms. Machado said.
Trump's Social Media Praise
Mr. Trump revealed later on social media that Ms. Machado had been generous about leaving the medal for him to maintain, and he said it would be an honor to meet her.
Trump wrote, “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!” in a social media post.
Pivot to Delcy Rodríguez as U.S. Ally
Trump said earlier that he would not work with Machado, but with Delcy Rodriguez — Maduro’s vice president who later assumed the role of interim president — warning that her failing to fulfill some of Washington’s most important U.S. demands, such as measures, including ones privileging American oil interests, was enough to push him to use violence against her.
Trump, who has repeatedly stated that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, was dismissive of Machado when she won it last month. His remarks followed in a line in which he pushed the use of force in other situations, including to call for tougher action against protesters in the US state of Minnesota, on Thursday.
Machado's Optimism Amid Tensions
Machado said their interaction had been positive, despite Trump’s scolding of her taking over Venezuela in the near future.
“I was impressed by how clear he was, how much he knows about the situation in Venezuela, how much he cares about the suffering of the Venezuelan people,” she said.
Machado herself offered no detail about what happened shortly after the meeting. Machado said that he had presented no particulars on the matter at the time of their conversation. She did not include information on what was said. Following the closed-door meeting, Machado greeted dozens of cheering supporters who were waiting for her by the White House gates, taking moments to hug many.
Nobel Panel Verifies Machado's Gift to Trump
Ms. Machado has been unable to hand Mr. Trump her prize, an honor that he has long sought, according to the Nobel Institute, and if it is all symbolic in its ultimate result, nothing short of remarkable in that.
Mr. Trump has effectively sidelined Ms. Machado, who has long represented the face of resistance in Venezuela. He has indicated that he will cooperate with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Mr. Maduro’s second in command.
U.S. Military Operation Ousts Maduro
Earlier this month, Trump ordered a military operation in Venezuela which resulted in the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro. Washington and a number of other governments have long denounced the leftist leader as illegitimate after elections that were widely scrutinized for irregularities.
Despite providing affirmation to opposition claims of victory in the last vote, President Trump later claimed Machado didn’t have the “respect” to lead the country. US officials had already acknowledged Machado’s political movement as the rightful winner of the election.
