Trump Reportedly Abandoned Venezuelan Opposition Leader After She Accepted Nobel Prize Instead Of Demanding It Be Given To Him (UPDATED)

In recent months, when the Trump Administration was saber-rattling about potential regime change in Venezuela, speculation centered on opposition leader María Corina Machado, and whether she could step in to replace Nicolás Maduro with the implicit support of the White House.

However, now that Maduro has been removed, Donald Trump has made clear that he does not want Machado to succeed Maduro.

Trump declared on the day of Maduro’s arrest that the United States, at least for a time, would “run” Venezuela.

“It’d be very tough for her to be the leader,” Trump said that day, adding that Machado “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.”

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Why is Trump reluctant to back Machado?

Insanity: Sources close to the White House told the Washington Post Trump lost interest in backing Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to lead the country because she accepted her Nobel Peace Prize rather than demanding it be given to Trump, which was viewed as an… pic.twitter.com/FDVLJZCtJ9

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 5, 2026

According to the Post, “two people close to the White House said the president’s lack of interest in boosting Machado, despite her recent efforts to flatter Trump, stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an award the president has openly coveted.”

One of those sources close to the White House said that Machado accepting the prize is the “ultimate sin.”

“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,” the person told the Post.

Later in the day, however, Trump denied that this was the case, in an interview with NBC News.

“She should not have won it. But no, that has nothing to do with my decision,” Trump said.

Instead, Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president, “has been recognized by the armed forces as acting president.” The White House, therefore, appears to have opted for Rodriguez over Machado, even though Machado is much more aligned politically with them.

There were some shocked reactions on social media to this report:

A literal child is the President of the US https://t.co/8tm45ua60q pic.twitter.com/5Lton7QBqY

— Ọlámijí (@DOlamiji) January 5, 2026

If AOC and Mamdani did a little ceremony and gave Trump a medal like in the end of Star Wars, we could have universal healthcare by the end of the year https://t.co/hGegnSmT1X

— Ari Drennen (@AriDrennen) January 5, 2026

What seemed like a snarky joke on Saturday turned out to be true. His diss of Machado was indeed over the Peace Prize https://t.co/git6T9I4Vo

— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) January 5, 2026

“The person who actually got the Nobel Prize called me and said I’m accepting this in honour of you because you really deserved it… I didn’t say then give it to me”.

Whenever Trump ‘jokes’ about being egotistical and narcissistic, he’s always, always being absolutely serious. https://t.co/Jk6ULBZ8xr pic.twitter.com/WB6kmbsj9A

— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) January 5, 2026

Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.