Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has kept her word and offered her Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump during their private meeting to discuss Venezuela’s future.
The US President met Machado on January 15, when she was received at the White House. This meeting took place two weeks after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was captured.
With Maduro absent, Venezuela’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, has taken on the interim leadership of the country under US supervision. However, some believe that Machado might be a more fitting leader if she can garner support domestically and from the United States.
Building a positive relationship with President Trump and his administration is crucial for Machado if she wishes to lead Venezuela, and offering her peace prize could help her achieve that goal.
After her meeting, Machado told Fox News: “I presented the President of the United States the medal, the peace, the Nobel Peace Prize.”
NEW: Venezuela opposition leader MACHADO just told Fox she presented the Nobel Peace Prize to TRUMP today
“I presented the President of the United States the medal, the peace, the Nobel peace prize…”
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) January 15, 2026
She explained that the gesture was to acknowledge Trump’s ‘unique commitment with our freedom.’
It’s not clear whether Trump accepted the award, though he had previously mentioned he would be ‘honored’ to accept it if Machado wished.
Nevertheless, the Nobel Prize Committee, which oversees the awarding of the Peace Prize, reiterated earlier this month that the prize ‘cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others.’
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute receive a number of requests for comments regarding the permanence of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s status,” read a January 9 statement from the committee. “The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”
Machado received the Nobel Prize in October 2025 for her ‘tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela’ and ‘her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.’
Her recognition was seen as a setback for Trump, who had aspired to receive the Peace Prize for his ‘negotiating solutions to multiple unending wars.’
Sources close to Trump suggest that accepting the award might have diminished her chances of becoming Venezuela’s next President. One source told The Washington Post that her acceptance was an ‘ultimate sin.’
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” the source remarked.
As of now, Trump hasn’t been overly optimistic about her capability to lead the nation.
When asked if he thought she would be suitable, he stated it ‘would be very tough for her’ to lead, as she ‘doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.’