US President Donald Trump is set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a high-profile meeting that comes amid deep uncertainty over Washington’s strategy for Venezuela following the dramatic US capture of former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
The meeting follows a daring U.S. military raid in Caracas that saw Maduro and his wife arrested and flown 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 played down expectations ahead of the meeting, telling Reuters: “She’s a very nice woman. I’ve seen her on TV. I think we’re just going to talk about the basics.”
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The remark reflects ambiguity over Machado’s standing with the Trump administration, even though her party was widely seen by independent observers as the winner of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 elections — results that Maduro rejected before his impeachment.
Washington DC signals openness to Maduro-era figures
The meeting with Machado comes as Trump and his top advisers signal a willingness to work with Venezuela’s incumbent president, Delcy Rodríguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president and remains in charge of day-to-day management along with other figures in the former leader’s inner circle.
Rodríguez has taken a significantly softer tone toward Trump and his “America First” approach to the Western Hemisphere, including overseeing the release of detainees under Maduro. This week, Venezuela freed several Americans, reportedly at the request of the Trump administration.
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Trump confirmed he spoke directly with Rodríguez, saying on Wednesday: “We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things. And I think we get along very well with Venezuela.”
Machado resigned despite his long opposition role
Trump’s apparent endorsement of Rodríguez has effectively sidelined Machado, who has long been one of the most recognizable faces of the Venezuelan opposition. She has invested heavily in developing relationships with Trump Republicans, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in an effort to become Washington’s preferred Democratic alternative.
Yet Trump publicly questioned Maduro’s leadership shortly after his capture. “It would be very difficult for her to be a leader. She has no support or respect in the country. She is a very nice woman, but she has no respect,” he said at the time.
A careful balancing act after the Nobel recognition
Machado has since been careful not to antagonize Trump, especially after he won the Nobel Peace Prize last year — an honor Trump has openly coveted. She publicly thanked Trump and even offered to share the prize with him, a proposal the Nobel Institute later rejected.
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Her movements have remained opaque since she went into hiding early last year after a brief detention in Caracas. She reappeared briefly in December in Oslo, where her daughter accepted the Nobel Prize on her behalf.
From citizen activism to mass mobilization
An industrial engineer and the daughter of a steel magnate, Machado entered national politics in 2004 after co-founding Súmate, a civil society organization that sought to call for a referendum to impeach then-President Hugo Chávez. The effort failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.
A year later, she caused further outrage by traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush—a visit immortalized by a photograph of two shaking hands in the Oval Office, which Chávez deeply resented.
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After nearly two decades, Machado mobilized millions of Venezuelans against Maduro in the 2024 elections. Despite what opposition groups and international observers said was overwhelming evidence of victory, electoral authorities loyal to the ruling party declared Maduro the winner, sparking 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 importance, but does not guarantee US support for her leadership ambitions. Instead, it highlights the transactional nature of Trump’s Venezuela policy, where democratic legitimacy, geopolitical interests and short-term stability seem to sit side by side.
