Donald Trump’s long-awaited wish fulfilled, American President reacts with joy after holding Nobel Prize medal

Washington (The Uttam Hindu): Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said that during a closed-door meeting at the White House, she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump. She described the gesture as a historic symbol of the shared struggle for freedom between the two nations. Speaking to reporters in Washington after the meeting, Machado said, “I gave the Nobel Peace Prize medal to the President of the United States.”

She said that during the interaction, she reminded President Trump of a historical incident from nearly two centuries ago, when French General Marquis de Lafayette gifted a medal bearing the image of George Washington to Venezuela’s independence leader Simón Bolívar. Machado stated that after 200 years, the people of Bolívar are now returning the medal to Washington’s successor, this time in the form of a Nobel Peace Prize medal, to honour Trump’s special contribution to their fight for freedom.

The meeting took place over lunch in the White House’s private dining room and marked the first face-to-face interaction between Trump and Machado. Ahead of the meeting, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President was looking forward to the discussion and viewed it as a positive exchange. She described Machado as a brave and influential voice representing the Venezuelan people.

Leavitt added that President Trump wanted to hear Machado’s assessment of the ground situation in Venezuela. She also said the US continues to maintain contact with Venezuela’s interim leadership and highlighted cooperation, including a 500-million-dollar energy deal and the release of political prisoners, including five Americans. However, it remains unclear whether President Trump formally accepted the Nobel medal. The Norwegian Nobel Institute has clarified that a Nobel Peace Prize cannot be transferred, shared, or returned once awarded.

Machado’s White House visit came amid mixed signals from Trump regarding her political future. Earlier this month, he had said it would be very difficult for Machado to lead Venezuela due to a lack of sufficient support and respect within the country. At the same time, Trump praised Venezuela’s interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, calling her a remarkable individual. Machado had reappeared publicly in December after remaining in hiding for 11 months, when she went to Norway to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.