Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Saturday that she has “no regrets” about symbolically giving her Nobel Peace Prize medal to former US president Donald Trump earlier this year.
Speaking at a news conference in Madrid, Machado defended her decision, saying Trump had taken extraordinary risks for Venezuela’s freedom. “There is a leader in the world who risked the lives of his country’s citizens for Venezuela’s liberty,” she said.
Machado handed over the medal during a White House meeting in January, shortly after US forces carried out an operation in Caracas and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The gesture was widely seen as symbolic recognition of Trump’s role in Venezuela’s political upheaval.
Trump—who has long expressed interest in the Nobel Peace Prize—accepted the medal. However, the Norwegian Nobel Committee clarified that while the physical medal can be gifted, the prize itself cannot be transferred, shared, or revoked.
Machado praised the US operation that led to Maduro’s detention in New York on drug-related charges, calling it something “Venezuelans will never forget.” Reaffirming her stance, she said, “No, I have no regrets.”
She also revealed she is coordinating with Washington on plans to return to Venezuela, adding that the United States remains “key to advancing a democratic transition” in the country.
Venezuela’s opposition has recently renewed calls for presidential elections. Machado—who was barred from running in the 2024 vote that saw Maduro claim victory—has yet to confirm whether she will contest any future poll.
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