01/20/2026
President Donald Trump welcomed Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to the White House on Thursday, January 15, 2026, for a high-stakes meeting to discuss the future of Venezuela following the recent capture of Nicolás Maduro. During the encounter, Machado presented the President with her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize medal, a gesture she described as a recognition of his "unique commitment" to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Taking to Truth Social after the meeting, Trump praised Machado as a "wonderful woman who has been through so much," describing the presentation of the medal as a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect." A photograph released by the White House showed the President with the medal displayed in a large gold frame, which featured an inscription thanking him for his "extraordinary leadership" and "principled action to secure a free Venezuela."
While the President accepted the physical medal, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has issued a firm reminder that the honor itself is non-transferable. The committee stated that regardless of the location of the physical gold medal or diploma, the official records of history will always reflect Machado as the sole recipient of the 2025 prize. Despite the warm exchange and the symbolic handoff, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the President’s "realistic" view remains unchanged regarding Machado’s current level of domestic support needed to lead a transitional government in Venezuela.