US President Donald Trump met Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, where she presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
The meeting was confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who described Machado as “a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela” and said Trump had looked forward to a “good and positive discussion.” However, Leavitt downplayed suggestions that the meeting signalled any shift in Trump’s assessment of Machado’s political prospects. Asked whether the president still believed she lacked sufficient domestic support to lead Venezuela, Leavitt said his view remained unchanged, calling it a “realistic assessment” based on advice from his national security team.
Leavitt added that Trump remains “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day,” but declined to offer any timeline.
Machado later told reporters that she had presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal, calling it “a recognition of his unique commitment to our freedom.” The White House did not immediately confirm whether Trump formally accepted the medal.
Trump later acknowledged the gesture on Truth Social, calling Machado a “wonderful woman” and saying it was his “great honor” to meet her. “María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you, María!” he wrote.
The meeting followed a closed-door discussion at the White House, after which Machado briefly addressed supporters gathered outside. “We can count on President Trump,” she told them, prompting chants of “Thank you, Trump.”
The encounter comes less than two weeks after US forces captured former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas and transferred them to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Machado’s political coalition is widely believed to have won Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election, results that Maduro rejected before his arrest.
Despite Thursday’s engagement, Trump has previously expressed doubts about Machado’s ability to govern and has indicated openness to working with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, who continues to oversee day-to-day administration alongside other senior officials. Leavitt said Machado requested the meeting without preconditions and characterised the discussion as “frank and positive.”
Machado spent around two and a half hours at the White House before heading to Capitol Hill for meetings with senators. She declined to answer questions from reporters as she left, responding only with “gracias.”
The meeting took place as Washington steps up pressure on Venezuela’s oil sector, including the recent seizure of a sanctioned tanker linked to Caracas. US officials say interim authorities under Rodríguez have cooperated with Washington, including by releasing detainees held under Maduro. Five Americans were freed earlier this week. Rodríguez, however, has said she is “not afraid” of diplomatic clashes with the US and has urged Washington to show “respect for the dignity” of the ousted leader.
Trump said on Wednesday that he had held a “great” and lengthy phone call with Rodríguez — his first since Maduro’s removal — adding, “I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
Even so, he has continued to voice scepticism about Machado’s leadership prospects, saying shortly after Maduro’s capture that it would be “very tough for her to be the leader” because of limited internal support.
Machado, who spent much of the past year in hiding after a brief detention in Caracas, has avoided publicly criticising Trump while quietly cultivating ties with US conservatives and senior officials. Her visit to Washington marks one of her most prominent public appearances since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
