Venezuela’s opposition leader has stirred controversy by suggesting she would present her Nobel Peace Prize to Donald Trump, alleging she committed a significant offense against the US President.
María Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her ongoing opposition to Maduro and what the Norwegian Nobel Committee described as her fight against dictatorship. Despite expectations that Machado, currently in exile, could be a strong contender for leadership in Venezuela, her acceptance of the Nobel Prize reportedly upset Trump.
According to two sources in Washington, the President believed that Machado should have bestowed the peace prize upon him instead. In response, Machado expressed her willingness to personally hand over the prestigious award to Trump.
Following her Nobel Peace Prize win on October 10, Machado dedicated the prize to Trump, praising his actions as deserving of such recognition. However, a D.C. insider criticized Machado for accepting the award, labeling it as the “ultimate sin” and suggesting that had she refused it, she might have been in a different position today.
In an interview with Fox News, Machado acknowledged that she had not communicated with Trump since winning the prize and continued to praise his recent actions. She expressed openness to the idea of giving up her Nobel Peace Prize to honor Trump, emphasizing that it was a prize for the Venezuelan people.
Meanwhile, Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, assumed the role of interim president in Venezuela. Rodríguez expressed hopes for constructive relations with Trump and invited the US to collaborate on mutual development within the bounds of international law. In response, Trump cautioned that failure to comply could have severe consequences for Rodríguez.
As the political landscape in Venezuela shifts, tensions between key figures persist, setting the stage for potential future developments.