PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald J. Trump during a private White House meeting.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: María Corina Machado, President Trump, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Newsletter Need to Know.

Your free, daily feed from The National Pulse.

Thank You!

You are now subscribed to our newsletter.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday at the White House, followed by remarks outside to supporters and a visit to Congress.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I presented the President of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Machado, calling it “a recognition for his unique commitment [to] our freedom.”

🎯IMPACT: The meeting comes nearly two weeks after President Trump authorized a U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture and extradition of Venezuela’s now-former dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Thursday that she presented her Nobel medal to President Donald J. Trump during a private meeting at the White House. Machado did not specify whether Trump accepted the medal.

“I think today is a historic day for us Venezuelans,” Machado remarked following the meeting, which marked the first time the two leaders met in person. Meanwhile, later on Capitol Hill, the opponent of the former Maduro regime stated, “I presented the President of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize.”

“I told him this: 200 years ago, General Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar kept that medal the rest of his life,” she said, adding: “It was given by General Lafayette as a sign of the brotherhood between the people of the U.S. and the people of Venezuela in their fight against tyranny. Two hundred years on in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of George Washington a medal, in this case, a medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.”

While it had been speculated that Machado would grant the medal to President Trump, the Nobel Committee insists that the award is not transferable.

During her visit to Washington, D.C., Machado also met with lawmakers in Congress and was greeted by supporters chanting “María, presidente” and waving Venezuelan flags. Earlier on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described Machado as “a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela,” adding that President Trump was looking forward to hearing directly from her about the situation on the ground in the South American country.

Image by ProtoplasmaKid.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.