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Gone quiet · last update Jan 15, 2026 / María Corina Machado

María Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize and her presentation of it to Trump

Overview · reviewed October 26, 2026

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for keeping "the flame of democracy burning" while in hiding from Nicolás Maduro's government.[1] She missed the December ceremony in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the prize, and appeared there hours later after an escape she said the US government had helped with.[2] In January 2026, after US forces captured Maduro, she presented her prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House, although the Nobel Institute had said the prize could not be transferred.[3][4]

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She missed the December ceremony in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the prize, and appeared there hours later after an escape she said the US government had helped with.[2] In January 2026, after US forces captured Maduro, she presented her prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House, although the Nobel Institute had said the prize could not be transferred.[3][4]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2025-10-06 (UTC): 32%, 58 of 181 tracked outlets (15 left, 26 center, 17 right)Week of 2025-10-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-10-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-11-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-08 (UTC): 20%, 36 of 184 tracked outlets (8 left, 22 center, 6 right)Week of 2025-12-15 (UTC): 4%, 7 of 187 tracked outlets (1 left, 6 center, 0 right)Week of 2025-12-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2025-12-29 (UTC): 2%, 4 of 166 tracked outlets (1 left, 1 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-01-05 (UTC): 11%, 21 of 198 tracked outlets (6 left, 10 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-01-12 (UTC): 27%, 51 of 191 tracked outlets (12 left, 25 center, 14 right)Week of 2026-01-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-01-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-02-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-16 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-23 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-03-30 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-04-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-04 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-11 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-18 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-05-25 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-01 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-08 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-15 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-22 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-06-29 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-06 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 5 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (6 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Jan 12, 202612251451 of 19127%
Jan 5, 2026610521 of 19811%
Dec 29, 20251124 of 1662%
Dec 15, 20251607 of 1874%
Dec 8, 2025822636 of 18420%
Oct 6, 202515261758 of 18132%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Jan 14, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Newsweek

    Nobel Foundation speaks out after Machado gifts Trump Peace Prize

Background

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the prize on October 10, 2025, calling María Corina Machado "a key, unifying figure" in a political opposition that was once deeply divided.[1] A former legislator, she had won the opposition's 2023 presidential primary before being barred from office.[5] She had been driven into hiding after a disputed election the year before.[1] Her fight with President Nicolás Maduro over that vote is followed in the arc on the 2024 election.

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

Her path to Oslo was uncertain. The director of the Nobel Institute said shortly before the December 10 ceremony that she would miss it,[6] and her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf. The committee's chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, told the ceremony that Machado had done everything in her power to attend, "a journey in a situation of extreme danger."[2] She appeared in public for the first time in 11 months early the next morning, waving to supporters at a hotel in Oslo.[2] She later confirmed that she had received support from the United States to escape.[2] She left Oslo days later, her spokesman said.[7]

Maduro's capture on January 3, 2026, made Machado a potential successor.[5] Trump, though, dismissed her as "not respected" and praised a "terrific" Maduro loyalist.[4][8] Machado said she would love to give Trump her prize "personally," and the Nobel Institute said a prize could not be transferred once it was announced.[4] She told CBS News that Venezuelans were "very grateful" to Trump for ousting Maduro, and made the case for her coalition to lead the country.[9] On January 12 she met Pope Leo XIV, asking for his help in securing the release of political prisoners.[10]

On January 15, Machado met Trump at the White House, hoping to persuade him to support elections in Venezuela.[8][11] Afterward she said she had presented him with her Nobel medal, saluting his "unique commitment with our freedom" even though he had repeatedly questioned her credibility to lead the country.[3] Trump called it a "wonderful gesture," having said earlier that it "would be a great honor" if she shared the award.[3] The Nobel Committee repeated that the prize was not transferable.[3] Her later return to Venezuela is followed in the arc on Venezuela under Delcy Rodríguez.

Supporting stories (11)
  1. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize
  2. María Corina Machado arrives in Oslo after Nobel ceremony
  3. Venezuela's Machado says she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during their meeting
  4. Nobel Institute says Venezuelan leader Machado can't give Peace Prize to Trump
  5. Who is María Corina Machado, a key figure in Venezuela’s opposition?
  6. Venezuela’s Machado won’t attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremony
  7. Machado has left Oslo after the Nobel Prize ceremony, her spokesman says
  8. Venezuela's opposition leader meets Trump
  9. Trump says he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado
  10. Pope Leo XIV meets with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in a surprise audience
  11. Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado visits Trump in Washington

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 11 recorded updates

January 2026

  1. Venezuela's Machado says she presented her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump during their meetingHeadline from Boston · 44 outlets
  2. Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado visits Trump in WashingtonHeadline from NBC 6 South Florida · 5 outlets
  3. Venezuela's opposition leader meets TrumpHeadline from The World from PRX · 13 outlets
  4. Pope Leo XIV meets with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in a surprise audienceHeadline from Crux · 9 outlets
  5. Trump says he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina MachadoHeadline from NBC Los Angeles · 10 outlets
  6. Nobel Institute says Venezuelan leader Machado can't give Peace Prize to TrumpHeadline from MyNorthwest · 17 outlets
  7. Who is María Corina Machado, a key figure in Venezuela’s opposition?Headline from KAGS Bryan · 3 outlets

December 2025

  1. Machado has left Oslo after the Nobel Prize ceremony, her spokesman saysHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 8 outlets
  2. Venezuela’s Machado won’t attend Nobel Peace Prize ceremonyHeadline from KRDO · 18 outlets
  3. María Corina Machado arrives in Oslo after Nobel ceremonyHeadline from BNO News · 27 outlets

October 2025

  1. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace PrizeHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 63 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →