Trump finally gets Nobel Peace Prize medal! Courtesy María Corina Machado—not Nobel Committee

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Thursday she "presented" her Nobel Peace Prize medal to United States President Donald Trump in a bid to win him over. Trump has sidelined Machado since overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

"I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize," AFP quoted Machado as she spoke outside the US Capitol, where she met with lawmakers after having lunch with Trump at the White House.

Machado, 58, said it was “recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom.”

Trump reacts

Trump took to TRUTH social media to confirm the development.

He said, “It was my Great Honor to meet María Corina Machado, of Venezuela, today. She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee says its prizes cannot be transferred.

Machado's extraordinary gesture comes after Trump said the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize should have gone to him instead — and after he refused to back Machado following the 3 January US military operation to capture Nicolas Maduro.

Trump instead backed Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, so long as she toes Washington's line, particularly on access to Venezuela's vast oil reserves.

‘Not afraid’

Trump had campaigned hard to win last year's Nobel Peace Prize for what he said were his efforts to stop eight wars.

Instead, it went to Machado, who appeared in Oslo last month to collect her prize — following a daring escape from Venezuela by boat — and then dedicated it to Trump.

Venezuela's opposition has argued and presented evidence that Maduro stole the 2024 election from the candidate of Machado's party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, claims supported by Washington.

But Trump has said that Machado does not have enough support among Venezuelans and opted to stick with Maduro loyalist Rodriguez.

Trump and Rodriguez had their first telephone call on Wednesday, and the White House said Thursday he "likes what he's seeing" with Venezuela's interim leaders.

Rodriguez said, however, on Thursday that her government was "not afraid" of a diplomatic clash with Washington.

"We know they are very powerful. We know they are a lethal nuclear power... We are not afraid to confront them diplomatically, through political dialogue," said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was delivering Maduro's state of the nation address to parliament while the toppled Venezuelan leader is in a New York jail facing drug trafficking charges.

By contrast, Machado, who campaigned for years to end leftist Maduro's rule, was greeted by jubilant supporters as she left the White House.

And her meeting with Trump was an opportunity for her to bring the issue of a democratic transition back into the foreground.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, as lunch started, that Machado was a "remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela."

But while Leavitt said Trump was "committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day," she would not give a timeline.

Sixth tanker seizure

Since Maduro's capture, Trump has said the United States will "run" Venezuela — exerting pressure through a naval blockade and threats of further attacks — but has appeared content to let Rodriguez remain in power so long as oil keeps flowing.

US forces on Thursday seized a sixth oil tanker in their campaign to control the South American country's critical fossil fuel sector.

Separately, the first US-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil, worth around $500 million, has been finalised, a US official told AFP on Thursday without identifying the buyer.

Rodriguez, in her speech, also announced plans for legal reforms to Venezuela's oil sector, which currently limits the involvement of foreign entities, but did not provide specific details.

Washington has also hailed the release of dozens of political prisoners in the past week, though hundreds remain behind bars.

Meanwhile, the shockwaves from the lightning US raid that toppled Maduro continue to reverberate.

Cuba paid tribute on Thursday to 32 soldiers killed in the operation, some of whom had been assigned to Maduro's protection team, in a ceremony attended by revolutionary leader Raúl Castro.