Trump's Venezuela Gambit: Machado Sidelined at White House

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, a high-stakes discussion that comes just after Trump publicly questioned her ability to lead the nation. The meeting occurs in the shadow of a daring U.S. military raid that captured former President Nicolás Maduro, creating a power vacuum in the South American country.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is navigating a complex relationship with the Trump administration.

Despite Machado's long-standing role as a face of the Venezuelan resistance, the Trump administration has signaled a surprising willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro's vice president. This move effectively sidelines Machado, who has spent years building relationships with Trump and key figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump's Pivot to Maduro's Inner Circle

President Trump has openly raised doubts about his administration's commitment to installing a new democratic government in Venezuela. By engaging with Rodríguez and other members of Maduro's inner circle who still control daily government operations, Trump is charting an unexpected course.

The White House confirmed that since Maduro's ouster, the Venezuelan government has been fully cooperating. Rodríguez has softened her stance on Trump's "America First" policies and is continuing to release prisoners, including several Americans this week, in a move seen as a concession to the U.S. administration.

On Wednesday, Trump described a "great conversation" with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro's capture. "We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things," Trump said. "And I think we're getting along very well with Venezuela."

This budding relationship stands in stark contrast to his comments on Machado. Hours after Maduro was detained, Trump stated it would be "very tough for her to be the leader," claiming she lacks "the support within or the respect within the country."

Machado's Strategy and Background

The White House stated that Machado requested the meeting with Trump without any set expectations. Her visit to Washington follows her party's widely recognized victory in the 2024 elections, which Maduro had rejected.

Machado has navigated her relationship with Trump carefully. After winning the Nobel Peace Prize last year—an honor Trump has openly desired—she offered to share it with him, though the Nobel Institute rejected the proposal.

Following her lunch with Trump, Machado is scheduled to hold a meeting at the Senate. The president referred to her as "a nice woman" but suggested their talks would not cover major issues.

Her trip also coincides with another U.S. action in the Caribbean, where forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker allegedly tied to Venezuela. This is part of a wider American strategy to control the country's oil sector after U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas, bringing them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.

A Long History of Opposition

Machado, an industrial engineer and the daughter of a steel magnate, has been a prominent figure in Venezuelan opposition for two decades.

Her political activism began in 2004 when Súmate, a non-governmental organization she co-founded, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. Although the referendum failed, Machado and other Súmate leaders were charged with conspiracy.

In 2005, she again drew the ire of Chávez's government by meeting with President George W. Bush in Washington. A photograph of her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office became a lasting image of her alignment with U.S. interests.

Nearly two decades later, she mobilized millions of Venezuelans against Maduro in the 2024 election. Despite credible evidence of her victory, ruling party loyalists declared Maduro the winner, triggering anti-government protests that were met with a brutal crackdown. After being briefly detained in Caracas early last year, Machado went into hiding, only reappearing publicly in Oslo when her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.