Washington – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said Thursday that she “presented” her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Trump during a private meeting at the White House, but that it did not change his view that she does not have support for her country’s leadership.
Machado, who won the award last year for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela, said she presented the 18-karat gold medal to Trump “in recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom.” It is unclear whether the president, who was keen to receive the award last year, has accepted it. the Nobel Peace Center The award has been kept and cannot be transferred.
This gesture came on the day the two leaders met for the first time at the White House. The anticipated meeting came at a time when the United States allowed senior representatives of the regime of ousted President Nicolas Maduro to remain in their positions while Trump supervises the transfer of power.
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt told reporters that Trump entered the meeting with no expectations other than to have a “frank and positive discussion about what’s happening in Venezuela.”
Levitt added that Trump continues to assert that Machado does not have the “support” or “respect” for Venezuela’s leadership, an assessment he first made on Election Day. Maduro arrested To the surprise of many Venezuelans.
“At this moment, his opinion on this matter has not changed,” Levitt said at a news conference.
While Levitt called Machado “a wonderful, courageous voice for so many people in Venezuela,” she also said the United States had found a “very cooperative” partner in Maduro’s handpicked Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who serves as Venezuela’s acting president.
“They have met all the demands and requests of the United States and the President,” Levitt said, noting that the Venezuelan government has already agreed to release political prisoners and reached a $100 billion agreement to rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector.
As Machado left the White House, the scope of the discussions between her and the president remained unclear. She did not receive questions from journalists, but a few were able to Capture a moment on video When her supporters greeted her outside the White House. “Know that we can count on President Trump for Venezuela’s freedom,” she told them.
She then left to meet with a bipartisan group of US senators on Capitol Hill. After this meeting, Machado told reporters that she presented the medal to the president.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) was one of 14 senators who met with Machado. After the meeting, Scott said Machado “deeply appreciates the US military” arresting Maduro, and was pushing for “free and fair elections and a free press.”
“We have to continue to understand that Delcy Rodriguez is not the leader, was never elected president, and is still the leader of the drug cartels,” Scott said. “We need to make sure we hold them accountable.”
It seems unlikely that much will change for Machado after her meeting with Trump, who has largely sidelined her and Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate who won the 2024 presidential election stolen by Maduro.
Days after Maduro’s arrest, Machado He told CBS News The people of Venezuela have “already chosen” González Urrutia as the country’s legitimate leader, and they are “ready and willing to serve our people, as we have been commissioned.”
However, Trump stressed that before elections are held in Venezuela, the United States needs to “fix” the country.
In response to a question about whether the president is committed to holding elections in Venezuela, Levitt said that Trump hopes to see “elections in Venezuela one day” but does not have a timetable for them yet.
Trump says he’s happy with the working relationship between his administration and Rodriguez. At a White House event on Wednesday, Trump described Rodriguez as a “wonderful person.”
This praise came after Trump said he had a “very good call” with her that morning, which made him feel hopeful that the United States and Venezuela would have an “amazing” working relationship.
Rodriguez, in turn, used her first State of the Union address on Thursday to promote oil industry reforms that would attract foreign investment, which is in line with the Trump administration’s goals. She also criticized officials in Washington and said there was a “stain in our relations” but said she was open to strengthening the relationship.
“Let’s not be afraid of diplomacy” with the United States, Rodriguez said in Venezuela.