Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said Thursday she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to President Donald Trump at the White House, calling it a recognition of his “unique commitment with our freedom,” even as Trump has questioned her ability to lead Venezuela.

Machado, who spent 11 months in hiding in Venezuela before attending the Nobel ceremony in Norway, said the gesture was symbolic. The Nobel Institute clarified that she could not legally transfer the prize. Trump later confirmed on social media that Machado had left the medal for him and called it an honor.

The meeting lasted about two and a half hours and included a discussion of Venezuela’s political transition, though Trump provided no firm commitments on elections. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the discussion as “frank and positive” but stressed that it did not change Trump’s view of Machado, citing her lack of broad support within Venezuela.

After leaving the White House, Machado greeted supporters outside and later met with a bipartisan group of U.S. senators. She urged progress toward a transition of power and elections, warning that interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy, is “in many ways worse than Maduro.”

The White House praised Machado as a “remarkable and brave voice” but maintained a cautious stance. Meanwhile, U.S. forces in the Caribbean seized another Venezuelan oil tanker as part of broader efforts to secure the country’s oil assets following the capture of Maduro and his wife less than two weeks ago.

Machado, a longtime critic of Venezuela’s ruling party and co-founder of the NGO Súmate, led opposition efforts against Hugo Chávez and his successor Maduro, facing government reprisals over the years. Her visit to Washington highlights her symbolic role in Venezuela’s political opposition amid ongoing U.S. involvement in the country’s transition.