Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she has handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump, the AP agency reports.
She said she did this on Thursday during their private meeting at the White House, but did not say whether he accepted it.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support Contribute"I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans," she said after meeting with Trump.
Weeks after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Trump has refused to support Machado, whose movement claimed victory in the 2024 elections.
After leaving the White House, Machado addressed supporters gathered at the gates outside, telling them in Spanish: "We can count on President Trump."
"I presented the Nobel Peace Prize medal to the president of the United States," Machado later told reporters in English, calling it "a recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom."
It is not clear whether Trump accepted the award. Trump, who has often spoken of his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, had expressed displeasure when it was given to Machado and she decided to accept the honor last year.
Machado said last week that he would share it with Trump, but the Nobel Committee later clarified that it was not transferable.
In her statements, Machado described the story of a military general who fought in the American Revolutionary War, who had presented a medal to Simon Bolivar, one of the founding fathers of modern Venezuela.
The medal was awarded "as a sign of the brotherhood between the United States, the people of the United States, and the people of Venezuela in their struggle for freedom against tyranny," Machado said.
"And two hundred years of history later, the people of Bolívar are returning a medal to Washington's heir - in this case a Nobel Peace Prize medal - in recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom."
Machado also visited Congress to meet with US senators, where her statements to reporters were drowned out by supporters chanting "María, presidente" and waving Venezuelan flags.
Machado was expected to use her time with Trump to try to convince him that supporting Delcy Rodríguez's interim government was a mistake and that her opposition coalition should be at the helm of this transition.
White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt told reporters as the meeting was taking place on Thursday that Machado is "an extraordinary and courageous voice for many of the people of Venezuela."
Trump has previously described her as a "freedom fighter" but has rejected the idea of appointing her to lead Venezuela after Maduro's departure, arguing that she lacks sufficient domestic support.
Since Maduro was ousted on January 3, the Trump administration has moved quickly to reshape Venezuela's oil sector, which had been under U.S. sanctions. On Wednesday, a U.S. official said the U.S. had completed its first sale of Venezuelan oil, worth $500 million.