President Donald Trump is set to meet with María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who was recently elected as president of Venezuela's interim government, at the White House on Thursday. Despite publicly dismissing Machado's credibility to take over after a US military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has invited her to discuss her country's future.
The move comes after Trump raised doubts about his commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela. His administration has signaled its willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro's vice president and remains in charge of day-to-day governmental operations.
Machado had long been a face of resistance in Venezuela and sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing. However, Trump has sidestepped her, instead opting to work with Rodríguez.
The White House says that Machado sought the meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. The two will meet at the Senate following a lunch with Trump, who described Machado as "a nice woman." However, it is unclear whether major issues such as Venezuela's democratic transition will be discussed during their talks.
Machado has been a vocal critic of Maduro and his government, and her election to the interim presidency was seen as a victory for opposition forces. However, her chances of success remain uncertain, with Rodríguez's government still in power.
The meeting between Trump and Machado comes amid a broader US effort to take control of Venezuela's oil resources after US forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in Caracas. The White House says that Venezuela has been fully cooperating with the Trump administration since Maduro's ouster.
Despite the invitation, Machado's whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. Her offer to share the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year with Trump was rejected by the Nobel Institute.
The move comes after Trump raised doubts about his commitment to backing democratic rule in Venezuela. His administration has signaled its willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was Maduro's vice president and remains in charge of day-to-day governmental operations.
Machado had long been a face of resistance in Venezuela and sought to cultivate relationships with Trump and key administration voices like Secretary of State Marco Rubio among the American right wing. However, Trump has sidestepped her, instead opting to work with Rodríguez.
The White House says that Machado sought the meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. The two will meet at the Senate following a lunch with Trump, who described Machado as "a nice woman." However, it is unclear whether major issues such as Venezuela's democratic transition will be discussed during their talks.
Machado has been a vocal critic of Maduro and his government, and her election to the interim presidency was seen as a victory for opposition forces. However, her chances of success remain uncertain, with Rodríguez's government still in power.
The meeting between Trump and Machado comes amid a broader US effort to take control of Venezuela's oil resources after US forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in Caracas. The White House says that Venezuela has been fully cooperating with the Trump administration since Maduro's ouster.
Despite the invitation, Machado's whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. Her offer to share the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year with Trump was rejected by the Nobel Institute.
I'm thinking this meeting is more than just a coincidence, you know? Machado's been playing both sides for ages, and now Trump is inviting her to the White House without any clear agenda 
. What's really going on here? Is it a ploy to get the US in on Venezuela's oil market? And what about Machado herself - she's got some serious skeletons in her closet 
. I'm not buying that she just wanted to chat with Trump out of the blue... something more is brewing.
, can't believe we're seeing this drama unfold! 
. I mean, did she really think Trump would come around after all that trash talk? 
The more I read, the more questions I have... is Machado gonna be able to make it in DC and lead Venezuela towards democracy? Or will she get bogged down by politics as usual? 
Can't wait to see what happens next! 
#VenezuelaPolitics #MachadoMeetsTrump #USInvolvement
. And what about Rodríguez's government still being in power? This might just be a token gesture to say the US is involved in Venezuela's future without actually doing much 
