STORY: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado left the White House on Thursday (January 15) after her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the encounter was "great."

She declined to give further details about the meeting, but was enthusiastically greeted by dozens of supporters.

The lunch meeting marked the first time the two met in person.

One potential topic of conversation for Thursday's White House meeting was the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to Machado last month, a snub to Trump, who has long sought the award. Machado had suggested she would give the prize to the U.S. president for having deposed former leader Nicolas Maduro, though the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked. Upon exiting her meeting with Trump, Machado declined to say if she had presented the prize to the president.

While the visit was ongoing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to meeting Machado, but that he stood by his "realistic" assessment that she did not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE AND SPEAKING AS SHE WALKS TO VEHICLE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 15, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER MARIA CORINA MACHADO LEAVING WHITE HOUSE / AS SHE WALKS TOWARD VEHICLE / REPORTER ASKS "How was your meeting?" AND MACHADO REPLIES "Very well" / GREETS SUPPORTERS / ENTERS VEHICLE