WASHINGTON — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday that she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Trump during a private meeting at the White House, but he has not changed his view that she lacks the support to lead her country.
Machado, who won the prize last year for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela, presented the 18-carat gold medal to Trump as a “recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom.” It’s unclear if the president, who has often expressed a desire to receive the prize himself, accepted it. The Nobel Peace Center has affirmed the award cannot be transferred.
The meeting occurred as the United States allows top deputies of deposed president Nicolás Maduro’s regime to remain in charge while Trump oversees the transition of power.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump entered the meeting without expectations beyond a “frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”
Leavitt added that Trump continues to believe Machado doesn’t have the “support” or “respect” to lead Venezuela, a position he first stated on the day of Maduro’s capture, which surprised many Venezuelans.
“At this moment in time,his opinion on that matter has not changed,” Leavitt said.
While Leavitt described Machado as a “remarkable and brave voice for many of the people in Venezuela,” she also stated the united States has found an “extremely cooperative” partner in Maduro’s handpicked vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who is currently serving as acting president.
“They have met all of the demands and requests of the United States and the president,” Leavitt said, noting the Venezuelan government already agreed to release political prisoners and reached a $100-billion deal to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector.
As Machado left the White House, the details of her discussion with the president remained unclear. She didn’t answer reporters’ questions, but supporters captured a video of her greeting them outside. she told them: “Know that we can count on President Trump for Venezuela’s freedom.”
She then met with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Capitol Hill. Afterward, Machado told reporters she had presented the medal to the president.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) was one of 14 senators who met with Machado. Scott said Machado was “very appreciative of the U.S. military” capturing Maduro and was advocating for “free and fair elections and a free press.”
“We have got to continue to understand that Delcy Rodriguez is not the leader, she was never elected as a president, she is still the leader of drug cartels,” Scott said. “We need to make sure we hold her accountable.”
it truly seems unlikely much will change for Machado after meeting with Trump, who has largely sidelined her and Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate who won the 2024 presidential election allegedly stolen by Maduro.
Days after Maduro was captured, Machado told CBS News the Venezuelan people had “already chosen” González Urrutia as thier rightful leader and where “ready and willing to serve our people, as we have been mandated.”
Trump, however, maintains the United States needs to “fix” Venezuela before elections can take place.
Asked if the president was committed to holding elections in Venezuela, Leavitt said Trump hopes to see “elections in Venezuela one day” but didn’t offer a timeline.
Trump said he’s pleased with his administration’s working relationship with Rodríguez. At a White House event Wednesday, Trump called Rodríguez a “terrific person.”
this praise followed Trump’s statement that he had a “very good call” with her that morning, leaving him optimistic about a “breathtaking” working relationship between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Rodriguez, in turn, used her first state of the union address Thursday to promote oil industry reforms aimed at attracting foreign investment, aligning with the Trump administration’s goals. She also criticized Washington officials, stating there was a “stain on our relations” but expressing openness to strengthening the relationship.
“Let us not be afraid of diplomacy,” Rodriguez said in Venezuela.
