Washington, 16 January (H.S.): Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, presented her prestigious medal to United States President Donald Trump during a closely watched White House meeting on Thursday, signaling her bid for American backing in Venezuela's turbulent post-Maduro landscape.
Machado, an industrial engineer and longstanding critic of Venezuela's socialist regime, escaped detention in Caracas last year and has since operated from hiding, marshaling opposition forces against the government.
Awarded the Nobel on October 10, 2025, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for her tireless work promoting democratic rights and pursuit of a peaceful transition from dictatorship, she could not attend the December 10 ceremony in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the honor on her behalf.
Following the private luncheon with Trump, Machado told reporters outside the White House that she had given him the medal as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom, though the administration did not confirm acceptance.
The encounter unfolded against the backdrop of Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S. military strike on January 3, 2026, that captured former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their Caracas compound, airlifting them to New York for trial on drug trafficking charges.
Maduro's ouster—after disputed 2024 elections where opposition polls showed Machado's allies victorious despite her disqualification—elevated Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, sworn in on January 5 amid military endorsement.
Trump, who has praised Rodríguez and held a great conversation with her this week, questioned Machado's domestic support, prioritizing economic reconstruction and Venezuelan oil access while advocating new elections when the time is right.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Machado as a remarkable and brave voice yet framed the dialogue as a realistic assessment without shifting Trump's stance, noting interim authorities' cooperation, including the release of five Americans from Maduro-era detention.
Emerging from roughly two and a half hours inside, Machado rallied cheering supporters near the gates, declaring, We can count on President Trump, before departing without fielding queries on the prize transfer.
She later visited Capitol Hill for Senate discussions, reiterating the gesture post-meeting.This diplomatic gambit highlights Machado's strategic overtures to Trump—long a Nobel aspirant—contrasting her resistance legacy since co-founding Súmate in 2004 to challenge Hugo Chávez, whom she met adversaries like George W. Bush.As Rodríguez delivers her first state-of-the-union address and U.S. forces seize Venezuelan-linked oil tankers, the prize presentation underscores fragile U.S.-Venezuela ties amid calls for democratic renewal.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
