María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, has presented President Donald Trump with her medal at a meeting at the White House. According to sources close to Machado, she expressed her commitment to freedom and democracy in Venezuela during the encounter, saying it was a recognition of Trump's leadership.
Trump had previously described Machado as a "freedom fighter," but rejected her as a candidate for leading Venezuela after the removal of President Nicolás Maduro. However, he praised her efforts, calling her a "wonderful woman who has been through so much."
Machado initially offered to share her Nobel Peace Prize with Trump during an interview in November last year, sparking controversy. The Nobel committee had stated that the prize was not transferable, and Machado later clarified that she intended to give it to him as a personal gesture of gratitude.
The White House has confirmed that Trump met Machado for over 30 minutes on Thursday, and described the encounter as "a great honor." The visit comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Venezuela, with the Trump administration seeking to secure democratic elections in the country.
Trump had previously described Machado as a "freedom fighter," but rejected her as a candidate for leading Venezuela after the removal of President Nicolás Maduro. However, he praised her efforts, calling her a "wonderful woman who has been through so much."
Machado initially offered to share her Nobel Peace Prize with Trump during an interview in November last year, sparking controversy. The Nobel committee had stated that the prize was not transferable, and Machado later clarified that she intended to give it to him as a personal gesture of gratitude.
The White House has confirmed that Trump met Machado for over 30 minutes on Thursday, and described the encounter as "a great honor." The visit comes amid ongoing tensions between the US and Venezuela, with the Trump administration seeking to secure democratic elections in the country.
Maria Corina Machado is truly an inspiration to many people around the world! it's amazing that she took the initiative to give away her Nobel Peace Prize as a personal gift to Donald Trump, despite what others might think about their past interactions 
. i think it says a lot about her character and commitment to freedom and democracy in Venezuela... even if they didn't always see eye to eye 
. plus, it's awesome that she's still standing strong after everything she's been through 
. she's definitely an icon for many! 
Trump's meeting with Machado is so weird 
... like what even happened there? 
She offered to share her Nobel Prize with him and he still didn't want to lead Venezuela? 
I mean, some people just don't know how to handle power, right? 
And Machado is all about freedom and democracy in Venezuela... maybe Trump should take a page from her book? 
.
she's a hero for venezuela, not some pawn for us politicians 
what's next? is trump gonna start giving out his own "awards" just because he feels generous 
anyway, at least it shows machado's still committed to the cause, even if it means rubbing shoulders with someone like trump 
At the same time, I can kinda see why she'd want to do it - they've had some history, right? And Trump did say some nice things about her in the past. Still, there was that whole controversy thing when she offered to share it with him... maybe Machado's just trying to keep the peace and move forward? 
I need to see some video of this meeting, where exactly did she give it to him? And what's with Trump's claim that he was doing her a favor by meeting with her? Wasn't he actually rejecting her as a candidate for leading Venezuela back in the day?
. Maybe this is a sign that we'll see some progress in the region soon 
. I mean, Trump's been super critical of Venezuela's government in the past, so it's weird that Machado would be all about giving him her Nobel Peace Prize. Like, is she trying to make amends or something? 
Anyway, I guess you could say she's showing some solidarity with his "democracy" stance 
[gif of money pouring into a bucket labeled "Trump"]
[ gif of a flame with the words "Drama alert!" written above it ]
[gif of a lightbulb turning on, with the words "Nobel Peace Prize? Really?" written below]
she's been through so much and still fighting for what's right 
. And now, he's trying to use Machado as a way to legitimize himself? It feels like he's trying to polish his image or something.
... It says a lot about her character and commitment to making a difference. But at the same time, I'm not sure if this is really going to help anything between the US and Venezuela 
. I don’t know if Machado is naive enough to think that this meeting will actually lead to positive change, but it's hard not to feel skeptical 
... I mean, who needs a prize that's "not transferable" anyway? 
. Still, I'm not buying all this "great honor" nonsense... there's gotta be more to this story than meets the eye 
!!! i'm so happy maria corina machado is taking a stand for freedom & democracy in venezuela 
it's clear she has so much respect & admiration for president trump, and i think that's really cool 
. i mean, at least she acknowledged his leadership, but did he really deserve the prize? it's weird that he was so down on her when she was running for president and now he's getting all the praise