Trump Receives Nobel Peace Prize Medal From the Leader of the Venezuelan Opposition Maria Corina Machado
Trump described his acceptance of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize medal as a sign of respect for one another.
During a White House meeting on Thursday, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave former US President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize gold, asserting that it was an acknowledgement of his dedication to the Venezuelan people’s independence. Trump plans to retain the medal, according to a White House official.
In a social media post, Trump praised Machado for delivering the prize and called the action “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.” “To President Donald J. Trump In Gratitude for Your Extraordinary Leadership in Promoting Peace through Strength — Personal Symbol of Gratitude on behalf of the Venezuelan People” was written on the gold medal in a large frame that Trump was holding up in a White House-released photo.
Trump said on social media Thursday night: “Maria gave me her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a lovely act of respect for one another. Maria, thank you.
The encounter was “excellent,” according to Machado, who also stated that the medal was meant to serve as a symbolic token of gratitude for Trump’s support of Venezuelan independence. The conference takes place weeks after President Nicolás Maduro was apprehended by US forces in Caracas and accused with drug trafficking. This operation marked the beginning of a new phase in Venezuela’s political future.
The Nobel Peace Prize is still hers, even though Machado gave Trump the actual medal. The Norwegian Nobel Institute made it clear that the award cannot be given away, shared, or withdrawn. While “a medal can change owners, the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” the Nobel Peace Center emphasized before to the White House meeting. In a statement released last week, it stated that “A Nobel Prize cannot be withdrawn, shared, or transferred to another person once it has been announced.” The choice is definitive and unchangeable.
Before Machado was given the honor, Trump himself had declared his desire to win it, and he reportedly voiced dissatisfaction when he was not chosen.
The meeting, which lasted just over an hour, was Machado and Trump’s first face-to-face interaction, according to the White House. Additionally, she met with more than a dozen US senators on Capitol Hill, where she made friends with both Democrats and Republicans.
Machado was welcomed by Trump, but he did not support her as the next leader of Venezuela. Maduro’s former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who is serving as the nation’s temporary leader, is still in contact with him. Rodríguez has been commended by Trump for his cooperation while upholding American interests, especially when it comes to access to Venezuela’s oil and economic recovery.
Machado is utilizing her trip to Washington to make sure she has a say in the political transition of her nation, which she escaped in December in a risky seaborne escape. She has emphasized that even under Rodríguez, there is still a great deal of repression in Venezuela and advocated for democratic elections.
Despite ongoing discussions about the validity of recent election results and the activities of the interim government, Machado emphasized during her visit to the US the significance of foreign support for Venezuela’s democratic transition.
Machado’s efforts to maintain awareness for Venezuela’s opposition movement at a pivotal point in the country’s history and to increase US support for her political agenda are highlighted by the Nobel Peace Prize medal she gave Trump, even if it was primarily symbolic.
