E-Paper
Why Maria Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal. Venezuelan leader explains
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she presented President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during their meeting on Thursday. However, she did not clarify whether he accepted it.
Machado further explained why she decided to present her medal. She recalled that a gold medal that was created for George Washington was presented to Marquis de Lafayette, who helped secure the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Washington kept the medal until his death on December 14, 1799. It was passed to his wife, Martha Washington. After Martha died in 1802, it went to Washington's adopted granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis Lewis. In 1824–1825, during Lafayette's triumphal farewell tour of the US, Lewis presented the medal to Lafayette as a gift.
This symbolized the deep bond between Washington and Lafayette, Machado mentioned.
Trump had publicly lobbied for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, but the honor was instead awarded to Machado. The Nobel Institute clarified that the "Nobel Prize can neither be revoked, shared, nor transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision stands for all time."
Machado said she presented the medal in recognition of Trump's commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Trump Machado meeting
This comes as Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in a high-stakes encounter.
The lunch meeting, which appeared to last slightly over an hour, marked the first time the two have met in person. Machado then met with more than a dozen senators, both Republican and Democratic, on Capitol Hill, where she has generally found more enthusiastic allies.
While the visit was ongoing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to meeting Machado, but that he stood by his "realistic" assessment that she did not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring seaborne escape in December, is competing for Trump's ear with members of Venezuela's government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward.
"I know the president was looking forward to this meeting, and he was expecting it to be a good and positive discussion with Miss Machado, who is really a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela," Leavitt told reporters during a briefing as the meeting was ongoing.
(With inputs from Reuters)
