Trump accepts Nobel Peace Prize medal from Machado

U.S. President Trump accepted a Nobel Peace Prize medal presented to him by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado during a White House meeting.

Speaking to reporters after her meeting with Trump, Machado said she “presented” the president the medal as a symbolic gesture tied to shared historical struggles for freedom between Venezuela and the United States.

“I told him this: 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face,” Machado told reporters. “Bolivar since then kept that medal for the rest of his life.”

“It was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the people of the United States and the people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom against tyranny,” Machado added. “The people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case a medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his united commitment with our freedom.”

President Trump accepted the medal during the meeting, according to Fox News. Officials did not disclose what was discussed during Machado’s meeting with Trump, and it remains unclear whether a potential transition of power was addressed.

The meeting followed recent shifts in U.S.–Venezuela relations after U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife during an operation in Venezuela. Since then, the Trump administration has opened dialogue with Delcy Rodríguez, who had served as Maduro’s vice president.

Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her fight for democracy, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute.

“The facts are clear and well established,” the institute said in a statement last week. “Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”