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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented Donald Trump with his Nobel Peace Prize medal on Thursday but failed to win any concessions as Washington continues to deal with the remaining government of Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.
Machado, who Trump said had “no support” inside Venezuela after the operation that ousted Maduro on January 3, met with the US president at the White House in a bid to boost his status as Washington has praised Maduro’s socialist successor, Delsey Rodriguez.
However, Trump spoke more positively about Machado on Thursday.
“She is an amazing woman who has been through a lot. Maria gave me the Nobel Peace Prize for the work I did. What a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!” he posted on Truth Social hours after leaving the White House.
Trump is known to covet the Nobel Peace Prize, saying it would be a “big insult” if he did not receive the award because he has “ended seven wars”. Yet, despite presenting him with his medal, the opposition leader was seen returning empty handed.
Greeting supporters outside the US Capitol on Thursday, Machado said he offered Trump his medal “in recognition of his steadfast commitment to our freedom.”
“The President understands well what is happening in Venezuela and fully understands our country’s potential as a strong ally of the United States,” Machado said in a statement.
Speaking at the White House as Trump’s meeting with Machado was underway, press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the president was “hoping it would be a good and positive discussion”.
Leavitt described Machado as “a remarkable and brave voice for many Venezuelans”, but stood by Trump’s previous comments about the opposition leader’s lack of support inside the country. “At this time, his opinion on that matter has not changed,” she said.
Machado also met with Republican and Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill after lunch with Trump.
Machado, the English-speaking daughter of a wealthy steel magnate, enjoys wide popular support in Venezuela, where she is nicknamed the “Iron Lady” but is hated by the regime’s power brokers.
Machado was banned from running against Maduro in the 2024 elections. A parallel vote count based on independently verified voting tally receipts showed that his stand-in, Edmundo González, was the winner of the contest by a margin of two to one, rather than Maduro, who had claimed victory. The United States recognized Gonzalez’s victory.
Maduro’s regime began a crackdown on dissent after the elections. Machado went into hiding in Venezuela, while Gonzalez fled to Spain. She fled Venezuela with US support last month to accept her Nobel Prize in Oslo and has not returned since.
Trump spoke with Rodriguez on Monday in what he described as a “very good call.” He has championed the left throughout his life, helping to bring American investment into Venezuela’s oil sector.
“We are making tremendous progress as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” he wrote on social media.
While Machado was meeting with lawmakers, Rodríguez announced reforms to Venezuela’s hydrocarbon law and said two funds would be created to manage the income from oil sales.
Rodríguez told lawmakers in Caracas that the fund would allow “investment flows to new areas where there has never been investment and where there is no infrastructure”.
Additional reporting by Steph Chavez and Lauren Fedor in Washington
