Venezuela's Machado Says She Has 'No Regrets' About Giving Her Nobel Prize To Trump

Last Updated:April 19, 2026, 11:20 IST

Donald Trump, who has long publicly demanded the Nobel Peace Prize for himself, said Machado’s presentation of the medal at the time was a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.

Venezuela’s main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, heaped praise on U.S. President Donald Trump, describing him as a leader “who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom".

Machado, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize 2025, said she has “no regrets" about giving her medal to Trump.

She had presented her medal to the U.S. President during her meeting with him at the White House in January, two weeks after he ordered special forces to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from Caracas.

Trump’s military operation to seize Maduro over drug trafficking charges is “something we Venezuelans will never forget", she was quoted as saying by news agency AFP at a conference in Madrid.

“There is a leader in the world, a head of state in the world, who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s freedom," Machado said.

‘Wonderful Gesture Of Mutual Respect’

Donald Trump, who has long publicly demanded the Nobel Peace Prize for himself, said Machado’s presentation of the medal at the time was a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect".

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which recognised Machado’s campaign to restore democratic rights in Venezuela, stated after the handover that the prize is non-transferrable and that it cannot be revoked or shared.

Maduro’s Capture By U.S.

Back in January, the U.S. special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a targeted operation in Caracas, named ‘Operation Absolute Resolve’.

They were transported to New York to face charges of narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking and are currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

News world Venezuela's Machado Says She Has 'No Regrets' About Giving Her Nobel Prize To Trump

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