Venezuela’s Machado says ‘no regrets’ about giving her Nobel Prize to Trump

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado stated on Saturday she has "no regrets" about symbolically giving her Nobel Peace Prize to then-US President Donald Trump in January. Speaking at a news conference in Madrid, Machado explained that she gifted the prize to Trump because he was the only world leader who risked his country's citizens for Venezuela's freedom. The symbolic presentation occurred during a White House meeting two weeks after Trump ordered US forces to attack Caracas and capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Machado believes Trump's actions demonstrated his commitment to Venezuelan liberation.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado defended her decision to give her Nobel Peace Prize medal to former US President Donald Trump. Machado, the 2025 recipient, presented the medal to Trump in January after he ordered US special forces to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is now detained in the US on drug trafficking charges. She stated that Trump risked American lives for Venezuela's freedom, a gesture Venezuelans would never forget. The Nobel Committee clarified that the prize is non-transferable. Machado, who received the prize for her work promoting democracy in Venezuela, is coordinating her return to the country with the US government, viewing Washington as key to a democratic transition.