 (6).png)
2 hours ago
1
ARTICLE AD BOX
Donald Trump meets Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House as Washington weighs its next steps after Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
US President Donald Trump is set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a high-profile encounter that comes amid profound uncertainty over Washington’s strategy for Venezuela following the dramatic US capture of former president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
The meeting follows an audacious US military raid in Caracas in which Maduro and his wife were seized and transferred to New York to face drug trafficking charges—an operation that has reshaped Venezuela’s political landscape but left open questions about who Washington ultimately sees as a legitimate partner.
A meeting heavy on symbolism, light on clarity
Trump downplayed expectations ahead of the talks, telling Reuters: “She’s a very nice woman. I’ve seen her on television. I think we’re just going to talk basics.”
The remark reflects the ambiguity surrounding Machado’s standing with the Trump administration, despite her party being widely viewed by independent observers as having won Venezuela’s disputed 2024 elections—results that were rejected by Maduro before his removal.
Washington DC signals openness to Maduro-era figures
The meeting with Machado comes as Trump and his senior advisers signal a willingness to work with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and remains in charge of day-to-day governance alongside other figures from the former leader’s inner circle.
Rodríguez has adopted a markedly softer tone towards Trump and his “America First” approach to the Western Hemisphere, including overseeing the release of detainees held under Maduro. Several Americans were freed by Venezuela this week, reportedly at the Trump administration’s request.
Trump confirmed he had spoken directly with Rodríguez, saying on Wednesday: “We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things. And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”
Machado sidelined despite long opposition role
Trump’s apparent endorsement of Rodríguez has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been one of the most recognisable faces of Venezuela’s opposition. She had invested heavily in cultivating ties with Trump-aligned Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a bid to position herself as Washington’s preferred democratic alternative.
Yet Trump publicly questioned her leadership credentials shortly after Maduro’s capture. “It would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” he said at the time.
A careful balancing act after Nobel recognition
Machado has since taken care not to antagonise Trump, particularly after winning last year’s Nobel Peace Prize—an accolade Trump had openly coveted. She thanked Trump publicly and even offered to share the prize with him, a proposal the Nobel Institute later rejected.
Her movements have remained opaque since she went into hiding early last year following a brief detention in Caracas. She resurfaced briefly in Oslo in December, where her daughter accepted the Nobel Prize on her behalf.
From civil activism to mass mobilisation
An industrial engineer and the daughter of a steel magnate, Machado entered national politics in 2004 after co-founding Súmate, a civil society organisation that sought to trigger a recall referendum against then-president Hugo Chávez. The effort failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she drew further ire by travelling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush—a visit immortalised by a photograph of the two shaking hands in the Oval Office, deeply resented by Chávez.
Nearly two decades on, Machado mobilised millions of Venezuelans against Maduro in the 2024 election. Despite what opposition groups and international observers described as compelling evidence of victory, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner, triggering widespread protests and a violent crackdown by state security forces.
What today’s meeting may—and may not—signal
Thursday’s White House meeting underscores Machado’s continued international relevance, but it does not guarantee US backing for her leadership ambitions. Instead, it highlights the transactional nature of Trump’s Venezuela policy, where democratic legitimacy, geopolitical interests and short-term stability appear to be weighed side by side.
English (US) ·