Did Donald Trump Accept the Nobel Peace Prize? Explaining Maria Corina Machado’s White House Visit and Venezuela’s Political Future
- TPP
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Two weeks after Nicolás Maduro’s abduction, opposition leader hands Nobel medal to Trump as US signals support for a different leader
Two weeks after United States special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado visited the White House for her first in-person meeting with US President Donald Trump—a meeting that combined symbolism, geopolitics, and uncertainty over Venezuela’s future.
During the Oval Office meeting, Machado placed her recently awarded Nobel Peace Prize medal in Trump’s hands, a dramatic gesture aimed at a president who has openly coveted the prize for years. The two posed for photographs in front of the Declaration of Independence, with Trump smiling broadly as he held the framed medal.
The moment raised immediate questions: Did Trump accept the Nobel Peace Prize, and could this symbolic act influence US policy toward Venezuela?
Did Donald Trump Accept the Nobel Peace Prize?
Shortly after the meeting, ABC News quoted an unnamed White House official confirming that Trump agreed to keep the physical Nobel medal.
Trump later confirmed the exchange on his Truth Social platform:
“It was my Great Honor to meet Maria Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much.Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”
The White House also posted a photograph of Trump and Machado with the framed medal. The inscription on the frame read:
“Presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan people, in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive action in pursuit of a free Venezuela.”
Why Did Maria Corina Machado Win the Nobel Peace Prize?
Machado, 58, is the leader of the Venezuelan opposition party Vente Venezuela and one of Maduro’s most prominent critics.
In 2023, she won the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential primary, positioning herself as the leading challenger to Maduro in the 2024 presidential election. However, Venezuela’s top court—the Supreme Tribunal of Justice—upheld a ban barring her from holding public office.
The court accepted government allegations that Machado:
Supported US sanctions against Venezuela
Was linked to a weapons plot through her party
Contributed to losses involving Venezuelan assets such as Citgo (a US-based oil refiner) and Monómeros, a chemicals company operating in Colombia
As a result, diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia replaced Machado as the opposition’s presidential candidate. Machado campaigned for him, but Maduro won the election—an outcome widely disputed domestically and internationally.
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A panel of United Nations experts raised concerns about the vote, and nine Latin American countries demanded a review of the election results in the presence of independent observers.
After spending more than a year in hiding and defying a decade-long travel ban, Machado secretly left Venezuela in December to travel to Oslo, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said she was awarded the prize:
“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.”
Why Did Machado Give the Nobel Medal to Trump?
Trump’s desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize has been widely documented.
Before the 2025 Nobel announcement, Trump repeatedly suggested he deserved the award and said it would be a “big insult” to the United States if he did not receive it.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September 2025, Trump said:
“Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.I ended seven wars. No president or prime minister has ever done anything close to that.”
Trump claimed credit for ending conflicts involving:
Cambodia and Thailand
Kosovo and Serbia
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda
Pakistan and India
Israel and Iran
Egypt and Ethiopia
Armenia and Azerbaijan
He later added the Gaza ceasefire deal to the list.
However, analysts noted that several of these conflicts remain unresolved. Thailand and Cambodia have exchanged fire since their truce; Israel has killed more than 450 Palestinians in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on October 10; and tensions between India and Pakistan remain high.
On January 7, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“I single-handedly ENDED 8 WARS, and Norway, a NATO Member, foolishly chose not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is independent of Norway’s government.
Does the Nobel Prize Now Belong to Trump?
Legally, NO.
Under the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, a Nobel Prize cannot be revoked, transferred, or reassigned. Once awarded, the decision is final and permanent.
While Trump may possess the physical medal, the Nobel Peace Prize remains officially awarded to Maria Corina Machado.
The Nobel Peace Center, the official museum account, reiterated this on X (formerly Twitter):
“A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”
What Does This Mean for Venezuela’s Leadership?
On January 3, Maduro, 63, was abducted by US special forces during an operation in Caracas, plunging Venezuela into political uncertainty.
Despite her international profile, Trump quickly ruled out backing Machado as Venezuela’s leader.
“She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” Trump said on January 3.
On January 4, The Washington Post, citing two anonymous White House sources, reported that Trump withheld support from Machado because he was angered that she accepted the Nobel Prize instead of refusing it in his favour.
One source called her acceptance the “ultimate sin”, while another said:
“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.”
Who Is the US Backing Instead?
Instead of Machado, Trump has backed Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s deputy, who has been sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
Rodríguez has expressed eagerness to work with Washington.
Trump spoke with Rodríguez by phone on Wednesday, describing the conversation as “very good” on Truth Social:
“Many topics were discussed, including Oil, Minerals, Trade and, of course, National Security.This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL.Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
Rodríguez said the discussion was long, productive and courteous, focused on a bilateral agenda to benefit both nations.
What Happened During Machado’s White House Visit?
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had looked forward to meeting Machado but maintained a “realistic” view of her political standing.
During her visit, Machado met Trump but left with no public assurance of US backing. She departed carrying an official White House gift bag—a red paper bag stamped with Trump’s gold facsimile signature.
Whether she left with clarity about Washington’s plans for Venezuela’s future remains unclear.
Machado’s gesture of handing her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump was rich in symbolism but short on political returns. While Trump accepted the medal as a token, US policy appears to be moving in a different direction—toward engagement with Venezuela’s interim leadership rather than the opposition figure celebrated abroad.
As Venezuela navigates a post-Maduro vacuum, the episode underscores how personal politics, symbolism, and great-power interests can outweigh democratic credentials in shaping international outcomes.