President Trump will meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House amid political upheaval following the reported U.S. seizure of Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Trump has praised Machado personally but recently questioned her prospects as a national leader, while also signaling openness to working with acting president Delcy Rodríguez. Rodríguez has taken a less confrontational tone toward Washington and overseen the release of several detainees, including Americans. Machado, a Nobel laureate and longtime opposition figure, has been in hiding since a brief detention last year.
Trump to Host María Corina Machado at White House Amid Maduro Seizure and Political Uncertainty
FILE - Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures to supporters during a protest against President Nicolas Maduro the day before his inauguration for a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, file)
President Donald Trump will host Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a meeting that underscores the fluid and unpredictable state of Venezuelan politics following a dramatic U.S. operation this month that removed Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas.
High-Stakes Meeting
The visit comes less than two weeks after U.S. forces reportedly seized Maduro and his wife from a heavily fortified compound in Caracas and transported them to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. The operation has reshaped U.S. calculations about how to engage with competing power centers in Venezuela.
Machado, widely regarded by many opposition supporters as the true winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 election, has long been a prominent and polarizing critic of the ruling party. Despite her stature in parts of the opposition, Trump has publicly questioned her ability to lead, calling her "a very nice woman" but saying she lacks sufficient support and respect inside Venezuela.
"I’ve seen her on television. I think we’re just going to talk basics," Trump told Reuters, downplaying the prospect of a high-profile political endorsement.
Balancing Acts: Rodríguez and Machado
At the same time, the Trump administration signaled openness to working with Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and is acting head of day-to-day government operations since his removal. Rodríguez has taken a noticeably less confrontational stance toward the U.S. and has said she plans to continue releasing detainees held under Maduro—an initiative that reportedly included U.S. input and resulted this week in the release of several Americans.
By engaging both Rodríguez and Machado, the White House is attempting to navigate a complex, fast-changing political landscape in Caracas, balancing humanitarian and diplomatic priorities with geopolitical calculations.
Machado’s Background and Political Trajectory
An industrial engineer and the daughter of a steel magnate, Machado first rose to national prominence in 2004 when the NGO she co-founded, Súmate, pushed for a recall referendum against then-President Hugo Chávez. That effort failed and led to criminal charges against her and other leaders.
Her 2005 trip to Washington, where she met President George W. Bush, inflamed critics at home and remains a memorable symbol of her alignment with U.S. conservatives. More recently, Machado mobilized millions of Venezuelans to oppose Nicolás Maduro in 2024; opposition and international observers described the official result as disputed, and subsequent protests were met with a harsh government crackdown.
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize last year but has kept a low public profile after going into hiding following a brief detention in Caracas. She resurfaced briefly in Oslo in December when her daughter accepted the prize on her behalf. Machado publicly thanked Trump after the award and even offered to share it—a proposal the Nobel Institute declined.
What’s Next
The White House meeting will be closely watched in Caracas and Washington. Whether it yields practical cooperation, symbolic gestures, or further political friction, the encounter highlights how rapidly alliances and strategies are shifting in response to recent events.
Reporting note: This article synthesizes available public statements and reports about recent developments in Venezuela and U.S. policy toward the country.
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