María Corina Machado presents her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during private meeting at WH

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 15: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is seen on Capitol Hill following a meeting with lawmakers on January 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. 

In a highly symbolic and exalting gesture, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, presented her Nobel medal to President Donald Trump during a private meeting at the White House on Thursday.

 The encounter, which lasted slightly over an hour and included a lunch, marked the first in-person meeting between the two figures.

Machado has been a prominent critic of the socialist Venezuelan government and she is a leading advocate for democratic reforms. She described the discussion as “excellent” and emphasized that the United States — under President Trump — clearly remains committed to supporting freedom in Venezuela.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House after the meeting, Machado confirmed that she had handed over the Nobel Peace Prize medal to the U.S. president. She characterized the act as “a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom” and told supporters that “we can count on President Trump.”

 

Machado symbolically gave the medal to Trump, though the Nobel title itself is not transferred and remains hers.

Trump, who has long expressed interest in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and previously lobbied for it publicly, posted on Truth Social shortly after the meeting.

“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”

 

Donald Trump Truth Social post referencing time spent with Machado – Jan. 15, 2026

A White House official confirmed that Trump is keeping the medal, despite rules from the Norwegian Nobel Committee stating that the prize cannot be shared or transferred.

 

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Machado on October 10, 2025, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

The award recognized her role in unifying opposition forces and advocating for free elections following the disputed 2024 presidential vote, which her coalition claimed to have won but was rejected by then-President Nicolás Maduro.

The medal was formally presented during the Nobel ceremony in Oslo on December 10, 2025, with Machado’s daughter accepting it on her behalf.

 

Machado departed the White House to cheers from a crowd of supporters, many waving Venezuelan flags, underscoring the ongoing global interest in her country’s political future.