WASHINGTON

Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado said Thursday that she gave US President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize, defying the Nobel Committee's emphasis that the award could not be transferred.

"I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado told reporters at the Capitol after her meeting with Trump and later lawmakers. Machado said she gave Trump the prestigious award out of "recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom."

The Nobel Peace Center said that the medals cannot be shared or transferred.

It said on X: “One truth remains … ‘Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.’.”

“A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” it underlined.

Last week, in a statement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said: “The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”

The prize was awarded to Machado for her efforts to promote “democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."

‘Great honor’ to meet Machado

Machado, who had been in hiding since Venezuela’s 2024 elections, had urged the international community to take action against President Nicolas Maduro, who on Jan. 3 was forcibly taken by the US to New York to face charges. In 2018, she sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requesting his “expertise and influence.”

Although Trump had repeatedly suggested he deserved the honor, Machado received the prize “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela.”​​​​​​​

Trump said it was his "Great Honor" to meet Machado at the White House.

"She is a wonderful woman who has been through so much. Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!" he wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Machado also told a group of Democratic and Republican senators that she would take Venezuela "from the criminal hub of the Americas" into a "security shield for the whole hemisphere."

"We're going to secure institutions, rule of law, open markets, and bring back the huge Venezuelan diaspora that has suffered a lot, but also learned a lot," she said, according to a video of the remarks shared by her spokesperson.

Machado's meetings in Washington followed a US military operation ordered by Trump that led to the capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. They were subsequently taken to New York, where they are standing trial on guns and weapons charges.

Trump has so far refused to endorse Machado to lead Venezuela, saying: “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”

It is unclear if his opinion of the Venezuelan politician has changed since she gave him her Nobel prize, but the White House hailed relations with Venezuela's interim authorities on Thursday as the president met with Machado.

Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, "have been in constant communication" with Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez in the wake of Maduro's capture, describing the interim government as being "extremely cooperative" with the US.

"They have thus far met all of the demands and requests of the United States and of the president," said Leavitt, pointing to the sale of $500 million worth of Venezuelan oil and Caracas' release of political prisoners. "The president likes what he's seeing and will expect that cooperation to continue."

* Diyar Guldogan from Washington, DC and Seda Sevencan from Istanbul contributed to this report