WASHINGTON – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Us President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, a gesture which President Trump accepted.
The White House officials said that President Trump intends to keep the medal.
In a statement on social media, he remarked that Machado had offered the medal in recognition of his efforts, describing it as a symbol of mutual respect.
Machado described the meeting as positive, stating that the gift was presented in recognition of President Trump’s role in supporting the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute clarified that the Nobel Prize cannot be legally transferred, redistributed, or returned, and the honor will remain under Machado’s name.
The meeting took place at a time when President Trump had dismissed the possibility of Machado assuming the leadership of Venezuela. Trump had previously expressed a desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize and had shown disappointment when Machado received the award last month.
This marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, after which Machado also met with members of the US Congress.
According to a White House spokesperson, President Trump was eager to meet Machado but still maintains that she does not currently have the necessary support to lead the country.
The meeting comes amid growing hopes for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela following the recent arrest of former President Nicolás Maduro.
President Trump has stated that his focus is on securing US access to Venezuela’s oil sector and the country’s economic recovery.
