Machado Meets Trump, Presents Nobel Trophy: How Venezuelan Opposition Leader Is Playing The Power Game To Take Control Of Nation | World News

Venezuela Leadership Power Struggle: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado once again attracted attention as she left Washington DC after meeting with US President Donald Trump this week. In a brief meeting with reporters, he said he “presented the Nobel Peace Prize medal to the president of the United States.” It’s unclear whether Trump accepts this.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee had previously stated that the prize and its title “cannot be cancelled, shared or transferred to others.”

Machado’s visit took place during a period of political developments in Venezuela. After leaving the White House, he addressed his supporters and the media and said, “Know that we trust President Trump to ensure Venezuela’s freedom.”

White House officials declined to comment on the timeline of possible elections in Venezuela. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the issue was “not an anticipated discussion” during her meeting with Machado.

“I’m not sure the president is going into the meeting with expectations like you just stated. I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado. Overall, I think this is a meeting that the president is willing to attend, is willing to accept, to meet Ms. Machado in person and have a frank and positive discussion about what’s going on in Venezuela,” he told reporters before the meeting.

While calling Machado a “remarkable and courageous voice,” he emphasized the Trump administration’s satisfaction with Rodriguez, who took over the interim presidency following the U.S.-led bombing of Caracas and Maduro’s capture.

“The president, of course, looks forward to talking to him (Machado) about the facts and what’s going on in the country,” Leavitt said.

He added that the interim government has been “extremely cooperative” and “so far has met all the requests and demands of the US president.”

Machado has long argued that the Opposition has the authority to replace Maduro. He has maintained a prominent public profile since the US military operation on January 3. He met with Pope Leo at the Vatican earlier this week and later held talks with Trump in Washington. During this period, he gave interviews to CBS, Fox News and Venezuelan media outlet La Patilla.

But experts warn that its exact role is unclear. While Machado has garnered strong support during the 2024 presidential election, the current political situation has changed. There is legitimacy in crushing the regime two years ago, but not this two years ago. Its impact now appears to be more “medium and long-term”.

Machado, 58, emerged after hiding for months for fear of arrest following the 2024 elections. He later traveled abroad to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to advance Venezuelan democracy. Although he was seen as a possible successor to Maduro, Trump’s announcement of the US military operation ousted him from a chance at leadership and favored Rodriguez instead.

Trump said shortly after the operation, “I think it will be very difficult for him to be a leader. He has neither support nor respect within the country.”

Rodriguez has since been sworn in as interim president, and the US president praised Rodriguez’s willingness to “do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

Maduro, accused of human rights violations, is accused of being involved in drug smuggling into the United States along with his wife, Cilia Flores. Trump’s intervention delighted many exiled Venezuelans but raised concerns about respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.

Experts say the Trump administration is basically betting on what they believe is the most stable transition possible. They think they can persuade the same members of the Maduro regime to disband them.

Machado’s statement after the US operation once again confirmed that he was ready to take control. In his article to X, he wrote, “The hour has come when popular sovereignty and national sovereignty will prevail in our country. We are ready to use our authority and take power.”

The daughter of a steel magnate, she has spent her career opposing Maduro. He founded an election monitoring organization and served in the National Assembly before being expelled by the Maduro government. He initially emerged as the front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, winning 92 percent of the opposition primaries, but was later banned from the race due to allegations of financial violations.

The opposition backed Edmundo Gonzalez in the election, with data suggesting he won overwhelmingly.

“We received a very strong, very clear mandate in the primary election process in October 2023, but we won the election by a landslide in 2024. So there is a mandate there. We have a president-elect named Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, and we are ready and willing to serve our people in the mandate that was given to us,” Machado told CBS last week.

Despite this, the opposition takeover has not materialized so far. Analysts point to factors such as U.S. intelligence concerns and potential military resistance in Venezuela. Experts say Machado’s overall popularity has not been seriously questioned, but they caution that it is unclear whether Venezuelan institutions, especially the military, would support an opposition-led government.

He has faced criticism for his hard-line policies and alliances with leaders such as Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There were also rumors that Machado winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 could complicate his relationship with Trump. He had previously offered to share the medal, but the Nobel committee confirmed that the prize was non-transferable.

Back in Venezuela, Machado continues to enjoy the support of the exile community, and analysts say he is widely admired there for his courage and the way he takes risks that few others would take. Many people may disagree with some of his positions, they say, but almost no one questions his courage or his ability to attract and mobilize crowds.

They also argue that if he is given the chance to mobilize people politically without constant pressure from Venezuelan security forces, he can regain control of his own political future and gain momentum on the ground.

Machado has also developed a pro-Israel stance, vowing to move Venezuela’s embassy to Jerusalem in 2020 and signing a cooperation agreement with Netanyahu’s Likud Party. After receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, he praised Israel and linked its fight against Maduro to Israel’s conflicts in the Middle East.

“This alignment underscores the global nature of the struggle between freedom and authoritarianism,” he wrote of X.

Meanwhile, Interim President Delcy Rodriguez told Venezuela’s National Assembly that he is proposing changes to the country’s energy laws to open the oil market to more foreign investment; This is a request consistent with the Trump administration’s priorities.

He explained that the changes “will allow these investment flows to be included in new areas, areas where there has been no investment at all, and areas where infrastructure does not exist.”