Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said she “presented" US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during their meeting on Thursday.

“I presented the President of the United States the medal, the Nobel Peace Prize," Machado said, before recounting an anecdote involving Latin American revolutionary Simón Bolívar.

“I told him this," she continued. “Two hundred years ago General (Marquis de) Lafayette gave Simón Bolívar a medal with George Washington’s face on it. Bolivar since then kept the medal for the rest of his life."

“Two hundred years in history, the people of Bolivar are giving back to the heir of Washington a medal, in this case the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize as a recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom."

Trump has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but was passed over for it in favor of Machado, who dedicated it to him when she received it.

Machado has expressed her desire to give or share her award with Trump, but the Nobel Committee clarified this week that the Peace Prize is untransferable.

Machado described her meeting with Trump as “historic" and “extraordinary." “What is happening at this moment is historic, not just for the future of Venezuela, but for the future of freedom in the world," she said.

In a separate meeting with US Senators, Machado said the opposition’s goal was to turn “Venezuela into a free and safe country, and into the strongest ally the United States has ever had in this region." She added, “We are a deeply pro-American society."

Machado said the Trump administration understood the need to rebuild institutions, defend human rights and free speech, and establish a “new, genuine electoral process" to encourage Venezuelans to return home.

“I have insisted - and I will continue to insist - that Venezuela has a president-elect, and I am very proud to work alongside him," she said, referring to opposition candidate Edmundo González.

The US had previously recognized González as president-elect following Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election, though the country is currently governed by acting president Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Nicolás Maduro’s deputy before his capture by the United States.

Trump has previously said he does not believe Machado has enough respect within Venezuela to govern, and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said as the meeting began that his view had not changed.