On January 20th, President Trump hosted a press conference at the White House where he expressed his desire to involve Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Venezuelan affairs. Trump mentioned that he is currently in discussions with Machado regarding this matter. It was the one-year anniversary of Trump’s return to the White House, and besides focusing on domestic law enforcement issues, he briefly touched on Venezuela and its opposition leader.
According to Trump, Venezuela serves as an example of open borders allowing drug dealers and prisoners to enter, with some inmates even being released into the United States. He emphasized that this was one of the reasons he strongly opposed Venezuela in the past, but now he has a positive relationship with the country and appreciates their cooperation.
Trump then praised Venezuelan opposition leader Machado, calling her an exceptional woman who has done remarkable things. He expressed his willingness to work with her and potentially have her participate in some capacity in the future. Trump highlighted ongoing discussions with the interim president of Venezuela and the Venezuelan people, noting promising progress. He also mentioned that oil companies are preparing for significant investments in Venezuela, with oil reserves surpassing even those of Saudi Arabia.
On January 15th, Machado had lunch with Trump at the White House and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal as a gesture of recognition for his efforts towards the freedom of the Venezuelan people. She described the meeting as “very good” and a historic day for Venezuelans. Trump expressed gratitude for the gift and deemed it a gesture of mutual respect.
In a separate move, on January 3rd, the United States carried out airstrikes in Venezuela, capturing former President Maduro and his wife, flying them to New York for trial on drug and arms trafficking charges. Subsequently, the Trump administration engaged with the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodriguez, discussing cooperation matters.
The Trump administration believes that holding elections in Venezuela at this time would be premature and questions Machado’s domestic support to lead the country immediately due to the many opposition figures who have fled the country in recent years.