Why did Maria Machado present her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump? She explains

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, 58, who remains confident of becoming president “when the right time comes", even as she has been sidelined by the United States following the overthrow of Nicolas Maduro, presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump on Thursday.

Trump had strongly pushed to receive last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in ending eight wars. However, the award was instead given to Maria Corina Machado, who traveled to Oslo last month to accept it after making a daring escape from Venezuela by boat. It remains unclear whether Trump retained the medal after their White House meeting, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee has stated that the prize cannot be transferred.

In contrast, Machado, who spent years campaigning to bring an end to Maduro’s rule, received a rousing welcome from cheering supporters in Washington.

She said she was confident that Venezuela would see a smooth transition following the US overthrow of Maduro and that free and fair elections would ultimately be held. Machado also told a press conference, a day after presenting her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump, that she insisted in her meeting with him on returning to Venezuela as soon as possible, according to Reuters.

During an event in Washington, she mentioned, “We are definitely now into the first steps of a true transition to democracy”, stating that this will have an “immense impact in the lives of all Venezuelans”, including around the region and world, as per AFP.

Meanwhile, Trump and acting President Delcy Rodriguez held their first phone conversation on Wednesday, after which the White House said he "likes what he's seeing" from her. Rodriguez, however, made it clear that her administration would push back against Washington.

"We know they are very powerful... we are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue," she said on Thursday.

She was delivering Nicolas Maduro’s state of the nation address in parliament at the time, as the long-time authoritarian leader remains jailed in New York on drug trafficking charges.