Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, where she presented him with her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal. Machado described the gift as a “personal symbol of gratitude” from the Venezuelan people for the U.S. military operation on January 3 that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Trump, who has long expressed his desire for the award, accepted the physical medal and called it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
MACHADO PRESENTED TRUMP WITH THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
“She said it has been gifted to the people of the United States from the people of Venezuela, so I would take that to mean she gave it to him..It doesn’t sound like she brought it back with her.” – @JackPosobiec… pic.twitter.com/22PbOM55YA
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) January 15, 2026
Despite the high-profile exchange, the Norwegian Nobel Institute quickly clarified that while a medal can change physical owners, the Nobel Peace Prize title cannot be transferred. According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, the decision to award a prize is “final and permanent” and cannot be shared or reallocated. This means that on the official records in Oslo, Machado remains the sole 2025 laureate, regardless of where the physical gold medal is stored.
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The meeting comes at a critical time for Venezuela’s future. Following the abduction of Maduro by U.S. special forces, an event Trump calls Operation Absolute Resolve, the country has been placed under the interim leadership of Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president. While Machado’s supporters hope this gesture will win Trump’s favor, the U.S. President has continued to back Rodríguez as the “realistic” choice for stability. Currently, the U.S. is prioritizing the reform of Venezuela’s oil sector, with Trump vowing that “large U.S. oil companies” will soon revitalize the nation’s energy infrastructure under Washington’s oversight.
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