Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. president Donald Trump on Thursday, praising his “unique commitment with our freedom.” The presentation took place during a meeting at the White House, following lunch with Trump and discussions with U.S. lawmakers at the Capitol. Machado told reporters outside the Capitol:
I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump called the gesture “wonderful” and described it as one of “mutual respect.” Machado, 58, told Fox News that “he deserves it, and it was a very emotional moment.”
It remains unclear whether Trump actually kept the medal following the closed-door meeting. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Nobel Prizes cannot officially be transferred, meaning Machado’s presentation was symbolic rather than formal.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the lunch started that Machado was a “remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela.” But while Leavitt said Trump was “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day,” she would not commit to a schedule.
