Venezuela's exiled opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has declared she would "personally" hand over her Nobel Peace Prize to US President Donald Trump. This extraordinary offer follows reports from Washington insiders suggesting Machado committed the "ultimate sin" by accepting the prestigious award herself, allegedly damaging her political prospects.
The Nobel Prize controversy and Trump's alleged displeasure
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 10, 2025, recognised by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for her long-standing fight against dictatorship in Venezuela. In a move that captured global attention, she dedicated the prize to President Trump at the time. However, according to a report in The Washington Post, two Washington insiders claim President Trump believed the honour should have been his directly.
The sources alleged that Machado's decision to accept the prize had severely undermined her chances of leading Venezuela following the dramatic kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro. One insider starkly claimed, "If she had turned it down and said, 'I can't accept it because it's Donald Trump's,' she'd be the president of Venezuela today."
Machado's public overture to the US President
In an interview with Fox News, Machado elaborated on her position. She confirmed she had not spoken to Trump since winning the prize but continued to lavish praise on his administration's actions in Venezuela, specifically citing Maduro's arrest on January 3, 2026, as "a huge step for humanity".
When directly questioned on whether she would relinquish her medal and certificate to President Trump, Machado did not dismiss the idea. "It hasn’t happened yet," she stated, "but I would certainly love to be able to personally tell him that we, the Venezuelan people - because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people - certainly want to give it to him and share it with him."
Political vacuum and new leadership in Caracas
The political landscape in Venezuela remains volatile. Following Maduro's capture by US troops, his vice president and loyalist, Delcy Rodríguez, was sworn in as the nation's interim president on Monday, January 5, 2026. Rodríguez has expressed a desire to build "respectful relations" with the Trump administration and invited US collaboration.
Despite this conciliatory tone from Caracas, President Trump issued a stern warning on Sunday, January 4th, stating that if Rodríguez does not comply with US demands, "she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro." This leaves the future of US-Venezuela relations hanging in the balance, with Machado's symbolic Nobel Prize gesture highlighting the complex and deeply personal dynamics at play in this international crisis.
