Anti-socialist Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gifted President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize during their Oval Office meeting on Thursday afternoon.
The White House shared an image of Machado presenting the president with the award “in recognition and honor” after his administration captured former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro earlier this month in operation Absolute Resolve.
The medal is housed in a frame, along with text, reading:
To President Donald J. Trump
In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy, and Defending Liberty and Prosperity.
The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize Medal awarded to María Corina Machado
Presented as a Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People in Recognition of President Trump’s Principled and Decisive Action to Secure a Free Venezuela.
The Courage of America, and its President Donald J. Trump, will Never be Forgotten by the Venezuelan People.
Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday night to express his gratitude to Machado.
“It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today,” he wrote.
“She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!” he added.
After Maduro’s capture on January 3, Trump said during a Mar-a-Lago press conference that he does not believe Machado has the support within Venezuela to lead.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” he said. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated at Thursday’s briefing that the president’s assessment has not changed.
“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,” she said.
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