WASHINGTON, United States – Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado convened with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday for a private luncheon, marking a critical diplomatic engagement amid shifting U.S. policy toward Venezuela. The meeting occurred against the backdrop of Machado’s recent receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize—an award Trump has openly expressed interest in sharing—and growing U.S. military and economic intervention in the oil-rich nation.
Machado arrived at the executive compound wearing a white suit and was escorted into the building. The closed-door meeting came just one day after Trump praised interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez—an ally of deposed leader Nicolas Maduro—as a “terrific person” and applauded the “terrific progress” made under her administration. This stance represents a notable departure from earlier U.S. support for Machado’s leadership claims.
Since the U.S.-led military operation that ousted Maduro on January 3, Trump has publicly questioned Machado’s domestic support, dealing a significant blow to her political standing. Despite this, Machado previously offered to share her Nobel Prize with Trump, a gesture he described as “a great honor” during a Fox News interview. The Norwegian Nobel Institute has clarified that Nobel prizes are non-transferable.
Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to tighten its grip on Venezuelan oil resources. On Wednesday, U.S. forces seized a sixth oil tanker, the Veronica, in a Caribbean raid. The military confirmed the seizure in a social media post accompanied by footage of soldiers rappelling onto the vessel. A U.S. official also disclosed that the first U.S.-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil—valued at approximately $500 million—has been finalized.
Although Washington has historically supported Machado’s claims of electoral fraud in the 2024 election—which opposition leaders argue was stolen from Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia—recent communications suggest a pivot toward economic and security interests rather than democratic transition. In a social media statement, Trump highlighted discussions with Rodriguez about “Oil, Minerals, Trade, and National Security” without referencing political reform.
Under international pressure, Caracas has released dozens of political prisoners over the past week, though hundreds remain incarcerated. Machado, who evaded capture post-election and eventually fled by boat to accept her Nobel Prize, has been living in effective exile. Her meeting with Trump aimed to reinvigorate U.S. commitment to a democratic transition in Venezuela.