Further specifics of the discussion were not disclosed. When pressed by ABC News in a brief hallway exchange, Trump characterized the meeting as “great” but offered no additional details.
Machado’s Nobel citation last October credited her for “promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and for pushing to move the country “from dictatorship to democracy.” She dedicated the prize to the citizens of Venezuela and to Trump soon after the announcement, and recently stated publicly that she hoped either to share or to present the medal to him in person.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute, responsible for overseeing the Peace Prize, underscored last week that the award is non-transferable. “Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time,” the institute said. That policy means ownership of the honor remains with Machado, regardless of Thursday’s ceremony, though physical custody of the medal now rests with Trump.
Machado’s visit comes less than two weeks after a U.S. operation led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. Maduro, who was transported to New York, faces federal drug-trafficking charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. The U.S. deployment followed years of tension between Washington and Caracas and was hailed by opposition activists as a turning point in their campaign to dismantle Maduro’s government.
Amid the shifting landscape, Trump revealed on social media that he had “cancelled the previously expected second wave of attacks” on Venezuela after the interim government released several political prisoners. However, he noted that U.S. naval assets would remain in regional waters “for safety and security purposes.”
Imagem: Internet
On Wednesday, the president told reporters he held an extended telephone call with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, marking their first direct conversation since Maduro’s detention. “We discussed a lot of things, and I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” Trump said during an unrelated bill-signing event.
Despite Thursday’s cordial exchange, Trump has recently questioned Machado’s domestic standing. Early in January he suggested it would be “very tough for her” to become Venezuela’s next leader because she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”
The president has long expressed interest in winning a Nobel Prize himself. Senior White House communications officials have publicly criticized the Nobel Committee for overlooking Trump in previous years. Communications Director Steven Cheung wrote on X that the committee “places politics over peace,” asserting that the president “has the heart of a humanitarian.”
Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydens has consistently denied that lobbying efforts influence the selection process. “We base our decisions solely on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel,” Frydens told reporters last year. Background on the committee’s mandate can be found on NobelPrize.org, which details the rules governing nomination and selection.
Thursday’s ceremony added a new chapter to Trump’s public pursuit of the Peace Prize and injected additional drama into Venezuela’s transition period. Machado did not indicate whether she expects the medal to be returned or displayed publicly, nor did the White House outline plans for its handling. For now, the medal’s transfer stands as a potent symbol of the opposition leader’s gratitude and of the complicated relationship between Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement and the U.S. administration.
Crédito da imagem: Daniel Torok/The White House via Reuters
