Corina Machado gave Donald Trump her Nobel medal. Photo: Facebook / The White House
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado handed the Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump on Thursday during a meeting at the White House in an attempt to influence efforts to shape her country's political future, Reuters reports.
A White House official confirmed that Trump plans to keep the medal.
In a post on social media late Thursday, Trump wrote: “It was a Great Honor to meet the Venezuelan Maria Corina Machado. She is an extraordinary woman who has been through a lot. Maria presented me with the Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. A wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”
Machado, who described the meeting as “excellent,” said the gift was in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
The White House later released a photo of Trump and Machado, in which the president is holding a large, gold-colored frame containing the medal.
President Donald J. Trump meets with María Corina Machado of Venezuela in the Oval Office, during which she presented the President with her Nobel Peace Prize in recognition and honor.🕊️ pic.twitter.com/v7pYHjVNVO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 16, 2026
Machado's attempt to influence Trump came after he rejected the idea of installing her as Venezuela's leader in place of ousted Nicolas Maduro.
Trump openly campaigned for the award before Machado received it last month and said he should have received it
Although Machado gave Trump the gold medal that laureates receive with the award, the honor remains hers; Norway's Nobel Institute said the award cannot be transferred, divided or revoked.
Asked on Wednesday if he wanted Machado to give him the award, Trump told Reuters: “No, I didn't say that. She won the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The lunch meeting, which lasted just over an hour, marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two.
Machado then met with more than a dozen senators, both Republican and Democratic, on Capitol Hill, where he generally found more enthusiastic allies.
