Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was named the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, presented her medal to President Donald Trump during a White House visit.
After meeting Trump on Thursday, January 15, Machado noted, "I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans."
The private meeting came weeks after US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and charged him in a drug-trafficking case.
Expressing his gratitude in a social media post, Trump called the move "a wonderful gesture of mutual respect".
The US president has refused to endorse Machado, who reportedly claimed victory in 2024's widely contested elections.
Instead, Trump has been dealing with the acting head of state in Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president.
However, he said meeting Machado was a "great honor", calling her a "wonderful woman who has been through so much".
After leaving the White House, Machado spoke to supporters gathered at the gates outside, telling them in Spanish, "We can count on President Trump," reported the Associated Press.
Trump, who often speaks about his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, had expressed displeasure when it was given to the Venezuelan opposition leader.
Machado said last week that she would share it with Trump, but the Nobel Committee later clarified that it was not transferable.
"Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others," the committee said in a statement last week. "The decision is final and stands for all time."
Despite committee remarks, a White House official revealed that Trump is keeping the Nobel Peace Prize presented to him by Machado.
In her remarks, Machado described how the Marquis de Lafayette, who fought in America's Revolutionary War, gave a medal bearing the likeness of George Washington to Simon Bolivar, one of the founding fathers of modern Venezuela.
The gift was "a sign of the brotherhood" between her country and the US "in their fight for freedom against tyranny," Machado said.
During her meeting, Machado was expected to convince Trump about letting her opposition coalition be in charge of the transition in Venezuela instead of Rodríguez's interim government.
President Trump has previously described Machado as a "freedom fighter" but dismissed the idea of her as Venezuela head after Maduro's removal, arguing that she lacks sufficient domestic support.
