The cunning Machado handed Trump the Nobel Peace Prize.

Shined like a brass tin: The cunning Machado handed Trump the Nobel Peace Prize. Machado handed Trump the Nobel Peace Prize medal, keeping the money for herself

Trump's dream came true: he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Well, not exactly... The real laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, brought the 200-gram gold medal to the White House for Donald Trump.

The prize was awarded to Machado in October, and Trump was furious at the time. After all, he had expected to win it himself, if only for reconciliation in the Middle East. However, even then, the Venezuelan woman called him and flattered him, saying she was accepting the award in honor of the White House occupant, since he deserved it.

WHY MACHADO HANDED THE PEACE PRIZE TO TRUMP

Maria Corina Machado, an engineer by training, studied in the United States, worked in the family steel business, founded an opposition party, and led protests against Maduro. For calling for unrest and sanctions against Venezuela, she was banned from running in local elections for 15 years.

Deeming herself a victim of the regime, Machado nevertheless continued to live in Venezuela. She even managed to leave for Oslo – she was late for the award ceremony, but was able to deliver a speech afterwards.

And now, after the United States kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the opposition leader has decided to remind Washington of her presence. After all, Trump had spoken disparagingly about her, saying it would be difficult for Machado to lead the country because she was neither supported nor respected in Venezuela. So Maria conceived a performance designed to appease the US President.

HOW MACHADO PRESENTED TRUMP THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

She went to the meeting at the White House in a crisp white suit. She brought with her a sturdy gilded frame containing the Nobel medal and pompous addresses to Donald from the Venezuelan people.

At the briefing after the meeting, Machado spoke of presenting Trump with the award for "his commitment to the ideals of freedom" and, for some reason, mentioned Simón Bolívar, the hero of the Latin American liberation movements, claiming he never parted with a medal featuring President Washington. But it was precisely these Bolivarian ideals that Maria betrayed.

And Donald wrote on social media about the "wonderful woman" who presented him with the Nobel Prize for his work. He's simply beaming in the photo from the ceremony.

The Nobel Committee responded to Machado's action, emphasizing that the laureate title cannot be transferred. The medal, however, can. Incidentally, the prize also comes with a monetary award, worth approximately $1.2 million. Neither the Venezuelan nor the US President mentioned its fate; apparently, Maria decided to keep the money for herself.

From an outside perspective, the situation certainly seems bizarre – after all, Machado handed over the medal to the kidnapper of her own country's president (dozens died during the kidnapping operation). Moreover, this occurred against the backdrop of Trump's bellicose statements regarding Greenland and the expectation of further US strikes on Iran.

And for Maria herself, her unprecedented move (Nobel medals have never been transferred in this way before) is unlikely to help her dream of becoming president of Venezuela any closer.

(kp. ru)