Machado Meets Trump at the White House, Presents Nobel Peace Prize Medal | WPN World People News

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado visited the White House on the 15th and met with U.S. President Donald Trump. After the meeting, Machado stated that she had presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump in an effort to gain his support, saying that the gift was meant to recognize Trump’s contributions to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.

Trump later confirmed on social media that he had accepted the medal, describing Machado as an extraordinary woman who has endured many hardships. He said that her decision to pass on the Nobel Peace Prize medal in recognition of his efforts was a beautiful gesture of mutual respect.

The news sparked strong criticism from various quarters. Norwegian figures said that Machado had disrespected and harmed the Nobel Committee and the Nobel Peace Prize, accusing her of treating the Nobel Peace Prize as a commodity and using it as a bargaining chip with Trump, thereby politicizing the Peace Prize to gain her own influence in Venezuela.

On the 16th, the Nobel Committee issued a statement saying that it does not restrict how laureates handle their medal, diploma, or prize money. While Machado gave the medal to Trump, the honor itself still belongs to her. According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, once an award is conferred, the decision is final and permanent, and the Foundation will not comment on the actions or statements of laureates.