(Jan 15): Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado presented Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal in a meeting Thursday, a bid to gain his favour as the US determines her country’s future and moves past an episode that rankled the president.
Machado, who has been shut out of Venezuela’s leadership transition in the days since US forces ousted President Nicolas Maduro on Jan 3, said she gave Trump the medal as “a recognition of his unique commitment with our freedom.”
She drew a parallel to the early 1800s when the Marquis de Lafayette presented Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar a medal that featured the likeness of George Washington, a gift she called “a sign of brotherhood between the people of the United States and the people of Venezuela.”
Machado has been looking to get back in Trump’s graces months after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her a prize Trump has long coveted and openly campaigned for. After toppling Maduro, Trump said he didn’t believe Machado had “support” or “respect” in the country and cleared the way for the vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, to become acting president.
Trump’s shunning of Machado from Venezuela’s leadership stunned opposition leaders and Machado’s allies abroad, including some Republican lawmakers. The White House has said the US will run the country until new presidential elections can take place, but has not offered a timeline.
In a further sign that Machado may struggle to gain more power in Venezuela, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump is pleased so far with how Rodriguez and the interim government have run Venezuela.
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“They have thus far met all of the demands and requests of the United States and of the president,” Leavitt told reporters. “The president likes what he’s seeing and will expect that cooperation to continue.”
Before Trump met Machado, Leavitt said he was expecting a “good and positive discussion” with her. Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela”.
Trump spoke to Rodriguez on Wednesday, and US officials were expected to meet with one of her envoys in Washington later Thursday.
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In the days since Maduro’s ouster, Trump has announced plans for Caracas to turn over billions of dollars in crude oil. Trump has also pressured major oil companies to invest in the country to rejuvenate its energy infrastructure. He praised Rodriguez for freeing some political prisoners, including close aides to Machado.
Trump said it would be a “great honour” to accept the award from her, but in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday said he did not want her to present him with the prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee has said the award cannot be shared or transferred.
“She won the Nobel Peace Prize,” Trump said, while adding that he was “hearing” she might. “I shouldn’t be the one to say,” he added.
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