President Donald Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado on Thursday at the White House, a White House official confirmed. The visit comes as the political and international situation in Venezuela remains tense following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro by US forces.
Machado, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her long-standing efforts for democracy in Venezuela, has been a vocal critic of Maduro's government and praised U.S. actions that have weakened his regime. In interviews before the meeting, she said she hopes to personally thank Trump for his historic support and even offered to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, a suggestion the Nobel Committee later rejected, explaining that the prize cannot be transferred once awarded.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeHowever, Trump had previously expressed doubts about Machado's support within Venezuela and therefore chose Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, as the US-backed interim president in Machado's place. Rodríguez remains a key political figure in Venezuela and has sought to maintain diplomatic relations with the United States after Maduro's ouster.
Before the Washington meeting, Machado has also met with other international figures; she was received by Pope Leo at the Vatican on January 12 to discuss the democratic transition in Venezuela and to seek global support for political prisoners and human rights in her country.