Sara Carter, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, told Newsmax on Thursday that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado's symbolic presentation of her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump during a White House meeting marks a pivotal moment in global geopolitics and the struggle for democracy in Venezuela.
Carter told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that Machado's gesture was "so significant" and said it underscored the impact of U.S. actions in support of democratic forces against authoritarian regimes.
"María Corina Machado's gesture to give the Nobel Prize to President Trump was so significant," Carter said, emphasizing the symbolism of Machado's act during their meeting at the White House.
Carter tied the moment to broader U.S. operations in Venezuela, including Operation Absolute Resolve, a mission that extracted a fugitive de facto leader, Nicolas Maduro, from the country without loss of U.S. service members.
"What has happened in Venezuela under the regime has been unbelievable," Carter said, linking the crisis to the surge of drugs entering the U.S. and loss of life. She asserted that Machado's meeting and her decision to honor Trump "sends a clear message to the rest of the world and to the cartels throughout Mexico, and by the way, even the Iranian regime."
Carter, who was confirmed by the Senate last week by a 52-48 vote, framed the gesture as a reaffirmation of "bold, decisive actions of one of the greatest presidents in modern political history" that are "changing the momentum, the geopolitical trajectory."
Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting democratic rights and pushing for a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela, met with Trump and presented him with her medal as a symbolic sign of gratitude for U.S. support, though the Nobel award is non-transferable, according to the Nobel Institute.
The gesture came amid political uncertainty over Venezuela's leadership and U.S. backing for interim authorities, including acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a former vice president under Maduro who has taken control following Maduro's capture and extradition.
Carter declined to detail private discussions between Machado and Trump, saying that what was said "privately" is up to the president, but she insisted the meeting could reshape momentum in the Western Hemisphere's geopolitical landscape.
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