On January 15, 2026, a scene unfolded at the White House that few in Washington—or Caracas—could have predicted: Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado handed her Nobel medal to President Donald Trump. It was a moment rich in symbolism, historical allusion, and political calculation, instantly sparking debate from the corridors of power to the streets of Venezuela.
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2025 for her unwavering advocacy of human rights in Venezuela, described the gesture as a tribute to Trump’s "unique commitment with our freedom." As reported by The Hill and CNN, she told reporters, “I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.” She went on to recount a story from two centuries ago, when General Marquis de Lafayette gave Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar a medal bearing George Washington’s likeness—a token Bolívar treasured for the rest of his life. Machado drew a direct line from that historical moment, declaring, “Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”
Trump, never shy about his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, quickly acknowledged the gesture. On Truth Social, he wrote, “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!” According to a White House official speaking to CNN, Trump is indeed keeping the medal, which Machado left at the White House after their meeting.
But the Nobel Committee was quick to clarify the limits of Machado’s gesture. As Reuters and CNN reported, the Norwegian Nobel Institute stated, “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.” In other words, while Trump may now possess the physical medal, the honor itself remains Machado’s alone.
Machado’s presentation of the medal was not merely a personal gesture; it was also a political maneuver. Her primary objective, as she told U.S. lawmakers after her White House meeting, was to press for a transition in Venezuela from autocracy to a government that protects individual freedoms. She described her meeting with Trump as “historic, not only for the future of Venezuela, but for the future of freedom in the world.” According to her press team, Machado told senators that the opposition’s focus was to turn “Venezuela into a free and safe country, and into the strongest ally the United States has ever had in this region.”
Yet even as Machado was feted in Washington, her political prospects at home remained uncertain. Trump, for his part, has repeatedly expressed skepticism about her ability to lead Venezuela. As The Hill and CNN both noted, Trump told reporters that Machado “does not have sufficient support or respect in Venezuela to lead her native country.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed this assessment, saying, “It was a realistic assessment based on what the president was reading and hearing from his advisers and national security team, and at this moment in time, his opinion on that matter has not changed.”
Meanwhile, the political landscape in Venezuela is anything but settled. After Trump ordered a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro—who was subsequently brought to the United States to face drug charges—Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, assumed power. Trump has signaled support for Rodríguez, calling her “terrific,” despite her close ties to Maduro. Rodríguez, for her part, has called for a “diplomatic battle” with the United States to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty. In a speech to lawmakers in Caracas, Rodríguez described a “criminal economic blockade,” an “economic war,” and an “armed aggression by a nuclear power unlike anything that has ever occurred in history,” though she stopped short of mentioning Trump by name.
Rodríguez also defended Venezuela’s ongoing oil exports to the United States, asserting, “Venezuela has the right to have relations with all the countries of the world—and with the United States as well.” She subtly left the door open to future negotiations, declaring, “If one day I have to go to Washington, I will go standing up… never crawling or dragging myself.”
The aftermath of Maduro’s ouster has been turbulent. Rodríguez’s interim government has deployed armed militias to search phones and arrest those expressing support for the former president, according to Fox News and CNN. Meanwhile, the U.S. has demanded that the new government control Venezuela’s oil output and curb drug smuggling. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have yet to specify when they expect free elections to be held, though the White House has expressed hope that such a transition will eventually take place.
Machado’s own path to leadership has been fraught with obstacles. She was barred from running in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, which was ultimately won by her ally Edmundo González. Despite international recognition of González as president-elect, Rodríguez remains in power, and the country’s political future is deeply uncertain.
Back in Caracas, ordinary Venezuelans watched the events in Washington with a mix of hope and skepticism. Some, like office messenger Rafael Alexandre, told CNN they wished for the meeting to be “a great blessing” and hoped “for everything to be normal again.” Others, like cook Alberto Berrios, acknowledged the need for qualified leadership but expressed uncertainty about who could best guide the country forward. “What I want is for everything to be for the good of the country—for everything to be good for us—and for this country to get fixed,” Berrios said.
After her White House meeting, Machado was greeted by a crowd of supporters as she crossed Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol, where she met with a bipartisan group of senators. She described Venezuela as “a deeply pro-American society” and reiterated her commitment to working alongside president-elect González. “When Venezuela is free, millions of Venezuelans will return of their own free will,” she said, highlighting the hardships faced by her compatriots, including children unable to attend school because teachers earn barely one dollar a day.
For Trump, the Nobel medal is both a personal trophy and a political talking point. He has spent much of his second term campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, garnering nominations from leaders in Pakistan, Cambodia, Israel, and among GOP lawmakers. Yet the Nobel Committee’s rules remain unyielding: the prize is not transferable, no matter how grand the gesture or the historical parallels invoked.
As the dust settles on this extraordinary exchange, the future of Venezuela—and the role the United States will play in it—remains as uncertain as ever. The symbolic handover of the Nobel medal may not have changed the facts on the ground, but it has certainly added a new layer to the ongoing narrative of hope, struggle, and shifting alliances that define Venezuelan politics today.
