Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Machado joined Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday night to shower President Donald Trump with praise in the wake of the attack on her own country that killed at least 80 Venezuelans — and critics pounced on what some described as the “deeply sad and pathetic” display.
Machado is among the most prominent leaders of the political movement opposed to Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s government, and has been championed by conservatives as the clear successor to Maduro in the wake of his arrest by U.S. forces. Trump, however, poured cold water on the idea after saying Sunday that she didn’t have the “support or respect” among Venezuelans to lead the country.
Two White House insiders later suggested that Trump’s apparent disdain for Machado stemmed from her having received the Nobel Peace Prize – an honor he had actively sought – and her refusal to award it to him.
And on Monday night, Machado apparently tried to address Trump’s grievance by showering the president with praise, as well as expressing her desire to give him her award.
“I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we want to give [my Nobel Peace Prize] to him and share it with him,” Machado told Hannity. “What he has done, as I’ve said, is historic, it’s a huge step towards a democratic transition.”
The blatant groveling took critics aback, including Washington Post global affair columnist Ishaan Tharoor, who asked how could “any sentient person not find this deeply sad and pathetic” in a social media post on X.
Hasan Piker, a left-wing influencer with more than 1.6 million followers on X, also took a harsh dig at Machado.
“This is so pathetic I forgot how insane she was for a second,” Piker wrote in a social media post on X.
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela" back in October. She’s drawn criticism, however, for her strong alignment with right-wing governments, her support for economic sanctions on her own country, and promoting foreign intervention in Venezuela with false or unverified claims, such as that the Palestinian militant group Hamas operates in the country.
Political analyst Yousef Munayyer, a leading advocate in Washington, D.C. for Palestinian rights, couldn’t help but note the irony of a Nobel Peace Prize winner championing the destruction of her own home.
How can any sentient person not find this deeply sad and pathetic https://t.co/XcQC1PvXu2
— Ishaan Tharoor (@ishaantharoor) January 6, 2026