'A Medal for Freedom': Machado Gives Her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, describing the gesture as a symbolic act of gratitude for what she called his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Machado explained that she handed Trump the gold medal she received for her fight against what she has described as Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian rule. She said the act was meant to acknowledge Trump’s role in recent events and his support for democratic change in Venezuela. Trump later confirmed the exchange in a post on Truth Social, calling it “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” A photograph released by the White House showed the medal displayed in a large framed presentation, accompanied by a message thanking Trump on behalf of the Venezuelan people for what it described as his decisive actions toward a free Venezuela.

Earlier the same day, representatives of the Nobel Peace Prize emphasized publicly that while a physical medal can change hands, the title of Nobel laureate remains with the person who earned it and cannot be transferred. The Nobel institutions had already clarified this position earlier in the week after Machado suggested in an interview that she wished to “share” the prize with Trump.

Machado’s move came amid a complicated political backdrop. Her political movement is widely believed to have won Venezuela’s 2024 election, but she was later sidelined after US special forces captured Maduro in the early hours of January 3. Opposition supporters had expected Trump to recognize Machado as Venezuela’s new leader following Maduro’s removal. Instead, Washington backed Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who was subsequently sworn in as acting president.

According to Machado, the decision to give Trump the medal was also inspired by a historical parallel. She recalled how, in the 19th century, the Marquis de Lafayette sent a gold medal bearing George Washington’s image to Simón Bolívar as a symbol of solidarity between the American and South American struggles for independence. Machado said her gesture was meant to echo that tradition of shared ideals and cooperation between nations fighting tyranny.

Analysts viewed the presentation of the medal as an effort by Machado to regain political momentum at a moment when her prospects of taking power appeared to be fading. Relations between her and members of Trump’s team were reported to have deteriorated, and US officials have expressed doubts about her ability to stabilize Venezuela’s security situation.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s stance was based on assessments from his national security advisers and reflected realities on the ground. She noted that his position had not changed and that communication with Rodríguez and members of her interim administration had been frequent and cooperative. Leavitt pointed to the release of five US citizens from Venezuelan prisons as evidence of that cooperation.

Trump himself publicly downplayed expectations that Machado would assume leadership, describing her as a “very nice woman” but claiming she lacked sufficient support within the country. He spoke more favorably about Rodríguez, saying she was prepared to take steps Washington viewed as necessary to stabilize Venezuela. He also suggested that new elections could not be held quickly, arguing that the country needed to be fixed first.

Rodríguez, for her part, sharply criticized the US operation that led to Maduro’s capture, calling it a serious rupture in bilateral relations and accusing Washington of crossing a red line. At the same time, she signaled openness to dialogue, saying Venezuela sought relations not only with countries such as China, Russia, Cuba and Iran, but also with the United States, and that she was prepared to travel to Washington if necessary.

Machado is not the first Nobel laureate to part with a medal. Past examples include Ernest Hemingway, who entrusted his literature medal to a church in Cuba, and journalist Dmitry Muratov, who auctioned his medal to support Ukrainian child refugees. However, observers noted that Machado appears to be the first to relinquish the physical symbol of the award so explicitly for political reasons, even as the Nobel institutions stressed that the honor itself remains permanently hers.