Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she had handed over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, the BBC reports.
After meeting with Trump, Machado said she believed it was a historic day for Venezuelans. The US captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in early January and charged him with drug trafficking.
The US president thanked Machado on social media, saying that presenting him with the Nobel Peace Prize was a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Meanwhile, Trump has rejected the possibility of appointing Machado as the new leader of Venezuela, despite the fact that the movement she led is believed to have actually won the disputed 2024 elections. Instead, the US president is working with Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who is currently serving as the country’s acting head of state.
Trump called the meeting with Machado a great honor, saying she is a wonderful woman who has endured so much. After the meeting, Machado addressed supporters gathered outside the White House and told them in Spanish that they could count on President Trump. Later, speaking to reporters,
Machado said she had presented the Peace Prize to Trump in recognition of his commitment to freedom.
The US president has repeatedly spoken of his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and expressed his displeasure when it was awarded to Machado and she decided to accept it.
Machado previously said that she could share the Peace Prize with Trump, but the Nobel Prize Committee explained that it is not transferable. The committee’s statement said that once the Nobel Prize has been announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to other persons. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. When asked about Machado’s statement, the committee referred to the above statement. Before Trump and Machado met at the White House, the Nobel Peace Center wrote on X that the medal could go to another person, but the title of Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.
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