WASHINGTON – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a White House meeting Thursday, marking a significant gesture aimed at securing US support following the recent overthrow of Nicolas Maduro.
The symbolic presentation came as Machado seeks to win over Trump, who has side lined her since the 3 January US military operation that captured Maduro and has instead backed the Venezuelan leader’s former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.
“He deserves it, and it was a very emotional moment,” Machado told Fox News in an interview following the closed-door meeting.
Trump, who had campaigned for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize himself, called Machado’s gesture a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee, however, states that its prizes cannot be transferred, and it remains unclear whether Trump kept the medal.
Political maneuvering amid leadership transition
Despite Machado’s gesture, Trump continues to support Rodriguez as Venezuela’s interim leader, contingent on her cooperation with Washington’s policies, particularly regarding access to the country’s vast oil reserves.
“I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize,” Machado (58), told reporters outside the US Capitol after meeting with lawmakers. She described it as “recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
The opposition has long argued that Maduro stole the 2024 election from Machado’s party candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia – claims Washington has supported. However, Trump has questioned Machado’s support among Venezuelans.
Rodriguez defiant despite US pressure
Rodriguez, who delivered Maduro’s state of the nation address to parliament Thursday while the deposed leader sits in a New York jail facing drug trafficking charges, struck a defiant tone regarding potential diplomatic tensions.
“We know they are very powerful. We know they are a lethal nuclear power…we are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue,” Rodriguez said.
Trump and Rodriguez held their first telephone conversation Wednesday, with the White House saying Thursday that the president “likes what he’s seeing” with Venezuela’s interim leadership.
Oil sector control tightens
Since Maduro’s capture, the US has intensified control over Venezuela’s oil sector through a naval blockade and continued seizures. US forces seized a sixth oil tanker on Thursday as part of the campaign to control the South American nation’s fossil fuel exports.
A US official confirmed to AFP that the first US-brokered Venezuelan oil sale, worth approximately $500 million, has been finalised, though the buyer was not identified.
Rodriguez announced plans for legal reforms to Venezuela’s oil sector during her speech but provided no specific details about changes to current restrictions on foreign entity involvement.
Broader regional impact
The repercussions from the US raid that toppled Maduro continue across the region. Cuba held a tribute ceremony Thursday for 32 soldiers killed in the operation, some of whom had been assigned to Maduro’s protection detail. The ceremony was attended by revolutionary leader Raul Castro.
While Washington has praised the release of dozens of political prisoners in recent days, hundreds remain incarcerated.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Machado as a “remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela” but declined to provide a timeline when asked about Trump’s commitment to eventual Venezuelan elections.
The political chess game continues as competing Venezuelan leaders seek legitimacy and US backing in the post-Maduro era.
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