ap | Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has US President Donald Trump at a meeting at the White House her Nobel Prize medal handed over. In doing so, she wanted to express her “recognition for his unique commitment to our freedom,” she said on Thursday. Trump later confirmed on social media that Machado had given him the medal and said it was an honor to meet her. “She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Trump wrote in his post. “What a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”
The White House later released a photo of Machado standing next to Trump in the Oval Office as he holds the medal in a large frame. Inside the frame is text that reads: “Presented as a personal symbol of gratitude on behalf of the people of Venezuela in recognition of President Trump’s principled and decisive actions to secure a free Venezuela.”
Machado had previously announced that he wanted to pass on the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump. “What he did is historic. It is a big step towards a democratic transition,” said the Nobel laureate, referring to the US-led military operation in which former President Nicolás Maduro was arrested.
However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said last Friday that the prize could neither be transferred nor shared. “The decision is final and applies for all time,” the institute said in a statement. Trump has openly sought to win the Nobel Peace Prize since returning to office and has repeatedly promoted it.
Risky visit
Maria Corina Machado presents the Nobel Prize to US President Donald Trump, Washington, January 15
Photo:
Daniel Torok/White House/dpa
During her meeting with Trump on Thursday, Machado spoke about the future of her country. The visit represented a certain risk for the opposition leader; her whereabouts have been largely unknown since she left the country last year after she was briefly detained in Caracas. Still, she later greeted dozens of supporters waiting for her near the White House. “We can count on President Trump,” she told the crowd.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and courageous voice” for the Venezuelan people, but said the meeting did not mean that Trump’s opinion of her have changed.
Trump has pledged his support to Maduro’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, saying Machado does not have sufficient support within Venezuela’sto rule the country.
Leavitt added that Trump supports new Venezuelan elections “in due course,” but did not say when he believes that time will be.