Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed to assist Donald Trump in revitalizing her nation, expressing her sentiments by offering to “share” her Nobel Peace Prize with the former U.S. president.
In an interview with Fox News, Machado addressed reports suggesting that Trump’s dissatisfaction with her Nobel Prize win—an accolade he has long desired—has resulted in strained relations between them following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
“Let me be very clear,” Machado stated. “As soon as I learned we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated it to Trump because I believed he truly deserved it at that moment.”
After her Nobel Prize victory in October, Machado conveyed her gratitude on X, writing, “I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!”
During a conversation with Sean Hannity, Machado reiterated that the apprehension of Maduro underscored her belief that Trump was deserving of the honor.
When Hannity inquired if she had communicated with Trump since the military operation and his comments regarding her potential leadership of Venezuela, Machado admitted that they had not spoken since her Nobel Prize announcement.
The host then asked: ‘Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize? Did that actually happen?’
‘Well, it hasn’t happened yet, but I would certainly love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him.’
Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado (pictured) promised to help Donald Trump rebuild her country as she attempted to ‘share’ her Nobel Peace Prize with the president
Machado spoke to Fox News about a report that Trump’s displeasure with her acceptance of the prize – which he has long coveted – has left her out in the cold following the capture of leader Nicolas Maduro
Despite the controversy, Machado promised that Trump has her support and allyship in helping rebuild Venezuela, stating her case for having a leadership role.
‘We will turn Venezuela into the energy powerhouse of the Americas, we will bring rule of law, open markets, open it for investment,’ she said.
She added that ‘millions of Venezuelans that were forced to flee the country’ will return to ‘build a stronger nation, prosperous nation, open society and we will leave behind the socialist regime that was brought to our people.’
Machado also warned that while Trump’s transition should move forward, interim President Delcy Rodriguez – who Trump said Monday was in touch with Marco Rubio – is more of the same from the Maduro regime.
‘Rodriguez is the main ally with Russia, China, Iran. Certainly could not be trusted by international leaders,’ she said.
Trump distanced himself from Machado after Maduro’s capture, as White House insiders revealed his displeasure stems from her acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize – an honor Trump has long coveted for himself.
‘If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,’ a person familiar with Trump’s thinking told the Washington Post. ‘Her acceptance of the prize was an ‘ultimate sin.’
On Saturday, Trump had largely dismissed Machado’s prospects, saying ‘it would be very tough for her to be the leader’ and claiming she ‘doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.’ His comments caught Machado’s team off guard, according to people close to her.
The Nobel Peace Prize committee said Machado won the award ‘for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy’
People take part in a parade celebrating Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado receiving the Nobel Peace Prize
Machado’s proxy candidate, Edmundo González, won more than two–thirds of the vote in last year’s election, which Maduro refused to honor by stepping down.
US officials say Venezuela’s vast oil wealth offers both an incentive for Rodríguez to engage with Trump and a source of leverage if she doesn’t.
Operation ‘Absolute Resolve,’ which achieved Maduro’s military removal, comes as Trump issues compounding threats to Cuba, Colombia and Iran, warning they ‘should be very careful’ following his military success in Caracas.
In Venezuela, the armed forces have recognized Rodríguez, who served as vice president under Maduro, as acting president.
People close to Machado say their team was caught off guard by Trump’s comments, and she has even garnered support from Republicans.
Representative Carlos Gimenez said in an interview that Machado would win an election if it were held today.
Florida Republican Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart also held a press conference in Doral on January 3 to forcefully reaffirm their support for Machado.
Machado’s proxy candidate, Edmundo González, won more than two–thirds of the vote in last year’s election, which Maduro refused to honor by stepping down
Salazar, a longtime ally who frequently refers to Machado as Venezuela’s ‘Iron Lady,’ has made note that any democratic transition must occur ‘under the leadership of María Corina Machado.’
Díaz-Balart also shut down suggestions that she lacked respect by declaring that ‘the next democratically elected President of Venezuela is going to be María Corina Machado.’
Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul suggested Trump threw Machado ‘under the bus,’ over the Nobel Peace Prize.
‘Is he that petty? … I was genuinely surprised and disappointed by his dismissive remarks about her,’ McFaul said.
A former White House staffer is also calling the president’s reasoning ‘petty.’
‘The reason it’s not Machado, is Trump is petty! Machado took his Nobel Peace Prize,’ former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council Alexander Vindman wrote on X.
US officials argue that Venezuela’s vast oil wealth cuts both ways for Rodríguez—offering a powerful reason to engage with Trump, and a potent source of pressure if she does not.
