Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is scheduled to meet with United States (US) President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, according to a senior administration official. The visit comes amid lingering uncertainty over Machado’s political future following recent US military strikes in Caracas and the capture of Venezuela’s longtime leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has since been sworn in as acting president. In the aftermath of the January 3 operation, Trump declined to endorse Machado as Venezuela’s leader, saying it would be difficult for her to govern because she lacked sufficient public support and respect within the country.
Machado, however, holds a distinction Trump has long sought: a Nobel Peace Prize. She has suggested she would be willing to offer the award to the US president, a gesture Trump has described as an honor, though the Norwegian Nobel Institute has stated that Nobel Prizes cannot be transferred.
When asked whether receiving Machado’s prize would prompt him to reconsider her role in Venezuela, Trump did not give a direct answer. “I’m going to have to speak to her. She might be involved in some aspect of it. I will have to speak to her. I think it’s very nice that she wants to come in, and that’s what I understand the reason is,” Trump said during a White House meeting with oil executives.
“I can’t think of anybody in history that should get the Nobel Prize more than me. And I don’t want to be bragging, but nobody else settled wars,” he added.
Trump has also signaled openness to meeting Rodríguez in the future. “We’re working along really well with the leadership, and we’ll see how it all works out,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Last week, Trump announced that he had canceled a second wave of attacks on Venezuela, citing the country’s cooperation with the United States and its release of political prisoners. He later described Venezuela as an ally “right now,” while reiterating that further military action was unnecessary.
The president has suggested that US involvement in Venezuela could last for years, telling The New York Times, “Only time will tell.” However, his efforts to court oil companies as part of a broader plan to expand drilling and rebuild Venezuela’s energy sector have met resistance.
Executives have raised concerns about the country’s long term stability, and no major investment commitments emerged from a recent White House meeting, with ExxonMobil’s chief executive reportedly describing Venezuela as “uninvestable.”
Machado met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Monday, where she asked him to intercede for the release of hundreds of political prisoners held in the Latin American country, according to The Associated Press. “Today I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his continued support of what is happening in our country,” Machado said in a statement.
Pope Leo has said that Venezuela must remain an independent country following the US attack, stating that he is following developments there with “deep concern.” The pontiff emphasized that “the good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail.”
Machado told Fox News’ Sean Hannity last week that she would love to personally tell Trump that the Venezuelan people want to give him the Nobel Prize. “What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step towards a democratic transition,” she said. The Norwegian Nobel Institute awarded her the prize for her efforts to promote a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela.
The White House communications director Steven Cheung said after Machado received the award last October that the Nobel Committee placed “politics over peace.” Machado dedicated the prize to “suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause.”
Trump has expressed frustration that he was not the recipient of the award, citing the global conflicts his administration has helped settle. He has repeatedly touted peace deals and ceasefires he’s facilitated during his second term as president. “She’s going to come in and pay her regards to our country, really to me, but you know, I’m a representative of the country, nothing else,” Trump said Friday.
The Venezuelan opposition figure has played little role in debates about the country’s future since the US captured Maduro earlier this month. Machado said last week that she had not spoken to Trump since October, indicating she has been largely frozen out of US discussions over Venezuela’s transition.
Instead, Rodríguez has assumed the role of interim president under the threat of further military attacks if her government does not submit to US demands on a range of issues. The Venezuelan government said on Monday that it had freed dozens of political prisoners, some of whom were jailed during protests against Maduro following disputed elections.
Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were taken to New York where they face federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. Trump said after Maduro’s capture that it would be “very tough” for Machado to lead Venezuela, describing her as “a very nice woman” who lacks the respect necessary to govern.
In a 2023 opposition primary, Machado received over 92 percent of the votes to lead the opposition, though she was excluded from the presidential race by decision of the Maduro government. Despite her overwhelming support among opposition voters, Trump has questioned whether this translates to broader national legitimacy needed for governance.
The meeting represents a critical moment for Machado, who has sought to cultivate close ties with the Trump administration throughout the crisis. Whether Thursday’s discussion will result in a formal role for her in Venezuela’s transition remains uncertain.
Trump’s approach to Venezuela reflects his broader foreign policy strategy of direct military action combined with efforts to extract economic benefits. His administration has emphasized taking charge of Venezuela temporarily while working to establish what officials describe as a proper transition.
The lack of major investment commitments from oil companies despite Trump’s pitch highlights skepticism about Venezuela’s stability even after Maduro’s removal. Industry executives remain cautious about deploying billions of dollars amid ongoing political uncertainty and concerns about whether any new government can provide the legal and regulatory framework necessary for large scale operations.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed the Thursday meeting but did not provide additional details about the agenda or expected outcomes. The session will mark one of the highest profile meetings between US officials and Venezuelan opposition figures since the January 3 military operation that upended the South American nation’s political landscape.
