Highlights
- María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to president Trump during White House meeting.
- Nobel committee clarified the prize itself is non-transferable and the title of laureate cannot change.
- Meeting comes weeks after US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on drug-trafficking charges.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to president Donald Trump during a historic White House meeting, calling it recognition of his commitment to Venezuela's freedom.
The gesture came weeks after American forces seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and charged him with drug trafficking.
Machado, who won the prestigious award last year, told journalists the medal represented "a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom."
Trump described the move as "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect" on social media. However, the Nobel committee has stated that while a medal can change owners, the prize itself and the laureate title cannot be transferred or shared.
"Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others," the committee said in a statement. "The decision is final and stands for all time."
Machado drew parallels with historical symbolism, comparing her gift to the Marquis de Lafayette's gesture of giving George Washington's medal to Simon Bolivar 200 years ago.
She described it as a symbol of brotherhood between Venezuela and the United States in their shared fight for freedom.
Political fallout
Despite the meeting, Trump has not endorsed Machado as Venezuela's new leader, even though her movement claimed victory in 2024's contested elections.
Instead, the president has been working with acting head of state Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president, whom he described as "a terrific person" following a phone call.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Machado as "a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela" ahead of Thursday's meeting.
Freddy Guevara, co-founder of opposition party Voluntad Popular, told the BBC that Machado wasn't seeking personal endorsement.
"What we are aiming is to have a democratic transition in which the people of Venezuela are the ones that will decide through their votes who is the one that is going to govern us," he added.
The meeting coincided with significant developments in US-Venezuela relations, including America's first sale of Venezuelan oil valued at 500 million dollars since sanctions were imposed.
