A historic exchange unfolded at the White House as Venezuelan opposition icon Maria Corina Machado handed her Nobel Peace Prize to President Donald Trump during a closely guarded lunch meeting. Trump, visibly moved, called it ‘a great honor’ and quickly posted about the ‘incredible woman’ on X, noting her gift as recognition of his efforts.

‘Venezuela’s Maria Corina Machado has suffered greatly but remains unbreakable. She gave me her Nobel Peace Prize – what a gesture of respect,’ Trump wrote, capturing the essence of their first-ever sit-down in the private dining area.

Machado elaborated on the medal’s significance, invoking a 200-year-old precedent. She likened it to the medal Marquis de Lafayette gave Simon Bolivar depicting George Washington, which Bolivar cherished lifelong. ‘Two centuries later, we’re returning the favor to the heir of Washington with this Nobel medal, honoring his dedication to our independence,’ Machado told the press.

From there, she engaged US lawmakers on Capitol Hill in a cross-party dialogue led by Sens. Dick Durbin and Jeanne Shaheen. ‘Machado deserves every bit of that Nobel for staking her life on Venezuela’s transformation,’ Durbin declared.

Shaheen stressed the road ahead: ‘Toppling Maduro isn’t democracy’s victory lap. We can’t let Venezuela swap one autocrat for another.’ Bipartisan acclaim for Machado’s leadership rang loud, mixed with pointed questions on Trump’s Venezuela policy.

This trip caps a whirlwind period for Machado, including a private Vatican plea to Pope Leo XIV for prisoner releases. After 11 months underground, her Nobel acceptance in Norway last December thrust her back into the global spotlight as Venezuela’s beacon of hope.