Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her democratic activism, presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to former U.S. President Donald Trump during a private meeting at the White House on January 15, 2026.
The gesture was symbolic, intended as a sign of gratitude for his role in U.S. actions that led to the capture of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.
Trump publicly thanked Machado, calling the gift a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect” and said he would keep the medal. The White House even posted photos of Trump holding the framed medal with an inscription praising his leadership.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee and Nobel Institute have repeatedly clarified that while the physical medal can be handed over or displayed by someone else, the honour, title, and official status of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked. Machado remains the official Nobel laureate, and Trump does not gain the title by receiving the medal.
The unusual gesture was seen as a strategic attempt by Machado to win political favor and support from Trump at a moment when U.S. backing for her leadership in Venezuela was uncertain.
However, Trump has signaled support for another Venezuelan leader, Delcy Rodríguez, complicating Machado’s political prospects.
