US president Donald Trump accepted Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize medal at a White House meeting on Thursday as she tries to get back in his good graces while the future of her country is being shaped by the US.
Mr Trump, in a social media post hours later, called it a “great honour” to meet Ms Machado, and described her as a “wonderful woman who has been through so much.”
“María presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done,” Mr Trump said. “Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you María!”
Mr Trump accepted the medal, according to a White House official.
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Ms Machado, who has been shut out of Venezuela’s leadership transition since US forces ousted president Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd, said she gave Mr 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 Simón Bolívar, who liberated much of South America from Spanish rule, 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.”
Mr Trump has long contended that he deserves the peace prize, which was awarded to then US president Barack Obama in his first term.
In an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Ms Machado said she had last spoken to Trump on October 10th, the day the prize was announced, but not since then.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has said the award cannot be shared or transferred.
After toppling Mr Maduro, Mr Trump said he didn’t believe Ms Machado had “support” or “respect” in the country and cleared the way for the vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to become acting president.
Mr Trump’s disparagement of Ms Machado stunned opposition leaders and her 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 Ms Machado may struggle to gain more power in Venezuela, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Mr Trump was pleased so far with how Ms Rodríguez and the interim government have run Venezuela.
“They have thus far met all of the demands and requests of the United States and of the president,” Ms Leavitt told reporters. “The president likes what he’s seeing and will expect that cooperation to continue.”
Mr Trump spoke to Ms Rodríguez on Wednesday, and US officials were expected to meet with one of her envoys in Washington later Thursday.
In the days since Mr Maduro’s ousting, Mr 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 Ms Rodríguez for freeing some political prisoners, including close aides to Ms Machado.
In Venezuela, a new poll found that a majority of the citizens want Ms Machado to lead the country following the US’s capture of Mr Maduro, a new poll found, contradicting Trump’s assertion that she doesn’t have the support to rule.
The survey carried out by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News also found that the Maduro operation failed to garner widespread support within Venezuela, as concerns swirl about Washington’s intentions and how the Chavista government will respond. – Bloomberg
