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45m ago

Machado Says She Gave Nobel Medal to Trump at White House Meeting

The meeting reaffirmed the administration’s preference for acting leader Delcy Rodríguez over installing Machado.

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Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado carries a gift bag with President Donald Trump's signature on it outside the White House following a meeting with Trump on January 15, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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. Machado has called for Democratic Unitary Platform candidate Edmundo González, who is widely considered to be the winner of the 2024 election, to assume the presidency of Venezuela following the January 03, 2026 capture and arrest of Nicolas Maduro by the United States military. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Trump wrote on Truth Social that María Corina Machado presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, and the Nobel Committee reiterated that prizes and laureate status cannot be transferred.
  • White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump’s assessment remains that Machado lacks the support to lead Venezuela, as the administration continues to work with acting president Delcy Rodríguez.
  • It was not clear whether Trump accepted or kept the medal, with no official confirmation from the White House after the closed‑door meeting.
  • Following the White House visit, Machado met a bipartisan group of senators and warned that without progress toward a transition or credible elections in the coming months, conditions could deteriorate.
  • U.S. pressure on Caracas continued with additional tanker seizures and a first U.S.-brokered Venezuelan oil sale reported by AFP, while officials offered no timeline for new elections.