At the end of the meeting at the White House, Machado, who became a Nobel Peace Prize laureate last year, told the press that she "awarded" Trump her medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the fight for freedom. She also noted that the conversation went positively, and her supporters can count on support from the U.S. president.
Trump appreciated this gesture and noted on his social media platform Truth Social: "María awarded me the Nobel Peace Prize for my work. It was a wonderful act of mutual respect. Thank you, María!"
However, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt added that Trump believes Machado does not have sufficient support to lead the country in the short term.
Recently, on January 9, the Norwegian Nobel Institute denied rumors that the prize laureate could transfer it to another person. In a statement, the institute emphasized: "Once the Nobel Prize has been awarded, it cannot be revoked, divided, or transferred to others. This decision is final and remains in effect forever."
Previously, Machado had expressed a desire to either transfer the prize to Trump or share it with him. This statement came after Trump declined to appoint her as the interim leader of Venezuela. As reported by The Washington Post, this decision may have been related to her not having presented the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.
Photo on the main page: Reuters / K. Lamarque.
