US President Donald Trump has described Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s decision to give him her Nobel Peace Prize medal as “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”, after meeting her at the White House.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said it had been “a great honour” to meet Machado and referred to her as “a wonderful woman who has been through so much”. He added that Machado had “presented” him her Nobel Peace Prize “for the work” he said he had done, and thanked her for the gesture.
Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s democratic opposition movement, has said she presented Trump with her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal as a symbolic act of gratitude and recognition. Reuters reported the handover took place during a White House meeting on 15 January 2026, which lasted a little over an hour, and marked the first in-person meeting between Trump and Machado.
The episode has drawn attention not only because of Trump’s long-stated interest in the Nobel Peace Prize, but also because Nobel officials have reiterated that the award itself is not transferable. In a statement published on 9 January 2026, the Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said that once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others, and that the decision is final.
Several media outlets have framed the distinction between the physical medal and the status of laureate as central to the controversy: Machado can hand over the medal as an object, but the Nobel Peace Prize remains awarded to the original recipient.
The meeting comes amid a rapid and contested political transition in Venezuela following a US operation earlier this month that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. On 6 January Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president following Maduro’s capture, after US strikes and a covert operation.
Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice-president, has since sought to consolidate authority. In a major policy signal, Rodríguez called for opening Venezuela’s state-controlled oil sector to more foreign investment and for warmer ties with Washington, while also condemning the US detention of Maduro.
Trump has publicly questioned whether Machado could lead Venezuela. ABC News reported that on 3 January, Trump said it would be “very tough” for Machado to be the country’s leader because, in his view, she lacked support and respect inside Venezuela.
That scepticism has been echoed in reporting about internal US deliberations. Reuters, citing a Wall Street Journal account, reported on 5 January that a CIA assessment concluded regime loyalists were best placed to lead Venezuela after Maduro, and that the assessment was among the reasons Trump decided to back Rodríguez rather than Machado.
The Nobel medal handover appears to be part of Machado’s effort to regain influence in Washington after being sidelined in the immediate post-Maduro transition. Reuters reported that after meeting Trump, Machado held discussions with US senators on Capitol Hill, continuing a lobbying push that began after she left Venezuela in December.
Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize was announced on 10 October 2025, and she later travelled to Oslo in connection with the award. Reuters reported in December that she planned to take the award back to Venezuela, though she did not specify when she would return.
The political backdrop is complicated by reports that Trump’s personal interest in the Nobel prize had become a factor in his view of Machado. A People.com report, citing a Washington Post account, said Trump refused to back Machado as Venezuela’s new leader in part because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize rather than declining it or framing it more directly as recognition of him.
In parallel, European and international outlets have treated the Nobel Institute’s position as an attempt to curb misinformation and politicisation of the award. Sky News reported that the Institute responded to claims Machado could give the prize to Trump by restating that it cannot be revoked, transferred, or shared once announced.
For Venezuela, the immediate question is whether Trump’s engagement with Rodríguez becomes a durable policy, and whether Machado can translate her international profile into leverage at home. Reuters has reported that Trump has downplayed the prospect of Machado leading the country, while the interim government—drawn from Maduro’s former administration—remains in place as Washington presses for stability, oil sector changes, and cooperation on US priorities.
María Corina Machado Detained During Anti-Maduro Demonstrations in Venezuela
