"A wonderful gesture of mutual respect," the American president called her move. The Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, presented United States President Donald Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize medal during a reception at the White House. According to Machado, this gesture is a recognition of the role of the US and Trump personally in the struggle of the Venezuelan opposition. Trump, accepting the medal, described it as an "extraordinary gesture of mutual respect."
Maria Corina Machado handed over the Nobel Peace Prize medal, awarded to her in 2025, to Donald Trump during their meeting at the White House
Machado announced the delivery of the award after the meeting with the American president, while Donald Trump later confirmed that he accepted the medal. The meeting between Machado and Trump took place in Washington and lasted more than two hours. It was held without a joint statement to the press and without the publication of an official communiqué from the White House.
The parties did not reveal details of the negotiations
Commenting on the results of the visit, Machado stated that Trump is "committed to the freedom of Venezuela's political prisoners and all Venezuelans," while he also understands the country's potential as a strong US ally. "I told President Trump that 200 years ago, General Lafayette presented Simon Bolivar with a medal featuring the image of President George Washington. Since then, Simon Bolivar never parted with it. 200 years later, the people of Bolivar deliver to the President of the USA, heir to Washington, the Nobel Prize medal as recognition of his dedication to our freedom," Machado told the press after the meeting (according to El Nacional).
Donald Trump confirmed the acceptance of the medal from Machado via a post
"It was a great honor for me to meet today with Maria Corina Machado from Venezuela. She is an amazing woman who has gone through so much. Maria presented me with her own Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, Maria!" the US president wrote on the social network Truth Social.
In early January, Machado had declared her readiness to hand over the Nobel to Trump, emphasizing then that she considers the prize belongs to the people of Venezuela and expressing her intention to cooperate with the US in the fields of security, energy, and investment protection. The Nobel Committee pointed out that the Nobel Prize cannot be revoked or transferred to another person and that the status of the laureate remains unchanged, regardless of the fate of the medal as a physical object. "Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be canceled, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and remains in effect forever. The medal may change hands, but the title of the Nobel Peace Prize holder does not," stated the committee's announcement on X.
Machado or Rodriguez?
The delivery of the award happened amidst an escalation of the situation surrounding Venezuela. On the night of January 3, the US military arrested the country's president Nicolas Maduro and his wife in Caracas, transporting them to New York to stand trial on charges of narco-terrorism. Following this, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez took office as acting head of state. Trump had previously expressed criticism regarding Machado's political prospects, calling her "just cute" and stating that she does not have sufficient support within the country.
At the same time, he left open the possibility of cooperation with the provisional administration in Caracas, including on energy issues.
Machado herself has repeatedly emphasized that US actions were decisive in changing the situation in Venezuela. She stated that Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for the attack against the Maduro regime, while after the US military operation, she spoke about the readiness of the Venezuelan opposition to take power. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work in promoting the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela, as the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted. Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he himself deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for ending several wars in the world.
"Height of stupidity" for Russian analysts regarding Machado's "award" of the Nobel to Trump
The Russian side reacted with extreme severity and irony to Maria Corina Machado's decision to hand over the Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump. Russian analysts and military bloggers (voenbloggers) describe the move as the "height of stupidity," questioning both Machado's validity and the logic of the American president. The well-known Russian military correspondent with the pseudonym Veteran, creator of the popular "Z PETERANNA" channel on Telegram, launched a tirade against Machado: He called Machado a "native oppositionist" whom no one takes seriously, who is simply trying to flatter a "mad old man." Veteran argued that this move will not improve Trump's image, emphasizing that during his days "all possible conflicts in the world were rekindled" and warning that the situation will worsen in the future.
He meaningfully reminded that the Nobel Committee has already clarified that the transfer of the prize is impossible, making Machado's gesture void of content.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko had already set the tone for the Russian stance. Lukashenko described the award to Machado as "nonsense," while Putin stated that the prestige of the prize has long been lost, as it is awarded to people who "have done nothing for peace." Moscow's anger stems from the fact that Trump used the acceptance of the medal to legitimize his aggressive policy in Latin America, especially after the military operation to arrest Nicolas Maduro. For the Kremlin, Machado is nothing but a "pawn" of Washington offering an "illegal gift" to ensure her stay in power.
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