Trump Says He Will Host Venezuela’s Machado in Washington Next Week

By Blessing Nweke

President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado is expected to visit the United States next week and that he looks forward to meeting her, marking a potentially significant moment in the evolving U.S.–Venezuela relationship.

In an interview aired Thursday night on Fox News, Trump said, “I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” but provided no details on the timing, location or agenda of the meeting. The White House also declined to offer specifics.

Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her role in advocating democratic rights in Venezuela, has become a central figure in international discussion following the recent U.S. operation that captured Venezuela’s long-time president Nicolás Maduro and transferred him to the United States on criminal charges. Much about Venezuela’s future leadership remains unresolved, with interim President Delcy Rodríguez installed and backed domestically as Maduro’s successor.

While Machado has expressed gratitude for U.S. pressure that helped weaken Maduro’s grip on power and suggested she might dedicate her Nobel award in part to Trump, the president has previously questioned whether she has sufficient support inside Venezuela to lead.

The planned meeting comes amid broader geopolitical tension over U.S. actions in Venezuela and questions about how governance and reconstruction should proceed. International leaders, including Canada’s Mark Carney and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have advocated for a Venezuelan-led transition process, stressing respect for sovereignty and democratic norms.

Additional developments, including U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s oil sector and domestic political dynamics in Caracas, continue to shape the backdrop for Machado’s visit and the future of U.S.–Venezuela diplomacy.