Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize — one of the world’s most prestigious honors that was previously awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela among others — to President Donald Trump. In return, she left the White House with a Trump-branded gift bag.
Machado, a prominent pro-democracy figure and former Venezuelan presidential candidate, met with the president Thursday as her country faces an uncertain future following the U.S. military's capture of autocratic leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Machado was awarded the Nobel in October in recognition of “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.” She fled Venezuela in December in order to travel to Norway to accept the honor.
She presented the medal, encased in a gold frame, to Trump. “To President Donald J. Trump,” a letter inside the frame read. “In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace Through Strength, Advancing Diplomacy, and Defending Liberty and Prosperity.”
In a photo Trump, who has previously griped about not receiving the Norwegian prize, is seen beaming and holding the frame next to Machado in the Oval Office.
As Machado left the White House, she was photographed carrying a red gift bag emblazoned with Trump's signature in gold lettering. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions fromThe Independent concerning the contents of the bag.
Trump later gushed about the gift in a post on Truth Social. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect,” he wrote and described Machado as “a wonderful woman who has been through so much.”
The following day, a reporter asked Trump: “Why would you want someone else’s Nobel prize?
“Well, she offered it to me,” he responded. “I’ll tell you what, I got to know her, I never met her before, and I was very, very impressed. She’s a really—this is a fine woman.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee later issued a statement that many took as a not-so-subtle dig at the president. “Even if the medal or diploma later comes into someone else’s possession, this does not alter who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” the committee wrote.
Trump previously stated that Machado lacks the support to lead Venezuela.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said at a press conference earlier this month, hours after the U.S. military conducted airstrikes on Caracas and captured Maduro.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president’s position on Machado remains unchanged.
Delcy Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, was sworn in as president soon after Maduro was seized and transported to New York to stand trial on narcoterrorism charges.
On Wednesday, Trump described Rodríguez as a “terrific person.” Machado, in contrast, has urged the U.S. government to handle Rodríguez with caution, describing her as a “communist.”
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