Donald Trump Meets Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado

Significant Meeting at the White House

The leader of the Venezuelan opposition and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday, as confirmed by the White House. This visit comes just weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in Caracas by American forces.

However, Trump has refrained from supporting Machado, whose movements have claimed victory in the highly contested 2024 elections, naming her the new leader of the country. Instead, the U.S. has backed Delcy Rodríguez, the former vice president under Maduro.

Machado stated last week that she hopes to personally thank Trump for his actions against Maduro and wishes to offer him the Nobel Prize, a suggestion to which Trump responded that it would be "a great honor," although the Nobel Committee later clarified that the award is non-transferable.

Previously, Trump expressed dissatisfaction regarding Machado's decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, an honor he has long desired. When asked if receiving the award could change his opinion of her role in Venezuela, Trump replied, "I will have to talk to her. I think it's very nice that she wants to come."

This month, following Maduro's ousting, Trump claimed that Machado "does not have support or respect from within the country." He described her as a "very nice woman," but emphasized the lack of respect towards her.

So far, the U.S. has supported Delcy Rodríguez as the interim president of Venezuela, with Trump referring to her as an "ally" and she has not been accused of any wrongdoing by American officials. Rodríguez has asserted that the Venezuelan government is running its own affairs, thus responding to Trump's accusations.

Machado stated that no one respects Rodríguez and described American military actions in Venezuela as "a significant step towards restoring prosperity, the rule of law, and democracy in Venezuela."