Machado Gives Trump Her Nobel Medal Amid Shifting U.S.-Venezuela Dynamics

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a White House visit, praising his role in ousting Nicolás Maduro. Trump accepted the medal—despite the Nobel Institute clarifying it cannot be transferred—and said the gesture honored their mutual respect. The meeting comes as Trump signals openness to working with interim President Delcy Rodríguez rather than Machado.

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Though once a central figure in Venezuela’s resistance, Machado appears sidelined in Trump’s strategy. She later met with bipartisan senators, urging pressure for new elections and expressing skepticism over Rodríguez’s leadership. Critics noted the symbolic value of the medal presentation but warned it doesn’t reflect actual political alignment. Trump’s administration has recently captured Maduro and taken control of Venezuela’s oil exports, but it has not endorsed Machado as a successor. The event highlights tensions between symbolic gestures and evolving geopolitical strategies in U.S.-Latin America relations.

Source: AP News