Jan 12, 2026, 9:18 p.mJan 12, 2026, 9:18 p.m
According to media reports, Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado will be received by US President Donald Trump this Thursday. The visit was planned at the White House, US broadcasters CNN and CBS News and Politico reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Machado is currently traveling through Europe. Last December she reappeared for the first time after eleven months underground to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
On Monday, Machado met the Pope.Image: keystone
At the beginning of the month, US forces captured the authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a military operation in Venezuela and took them out of the country. Maduro was charged in New York with drug offenses, among other things.
Trump then expressed skepticism about the opposition leader’s suitability as his successor. From his point of view, she did not enjoy the necessary support or respect in the country, he said.
Machado hinted at passing on the Nobel Peace Prize
Meanwhile, Machado recently indicated that she wanted to pass on her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump for his efforts. When asked by moderator Sean Hannity whether she had offered to give Trump her Nobel Prize, she replied: “It hasn’t happened yet. But I would certainly like to tell him personally that we – the Venezuelan people, because this is an award of the Venezuelan people – would like to present this award to him and share it with him.”
What the US President has achieved is historic. “It is a big step towards democratic change.” It was initially unclear whether her statement was to be understood literally or symbolically.
However, according to the Nobel Institute in Oslo, this is not possible. «A Nobel Prize cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others. Once the announcement has been made, the decision is final,” it says. (sda/dpa)