Machado Holds White House Talks With Trump as U.S. Signals Support for Interim Venezuelan Government

White House describes meeting as constructive amid ongoing U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil and political transition.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado met President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday for what administration officials described as positive discussions, even as the U.S. president continues to signal support for Venezuela’s interim leadership rather than Machado’s political movement.

The meeting marked the first face-to-face talks between Trump and Machado since a U.S. military operation earlier this month resulted in the capture of longtime Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Despite Machado’s years-long campaign against Maduro’s rule, Trump has publicly questioned her level of domestic support and has instead endorsed interim President Delcy Rodríguez, citing cooperation on energy access and stability.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to the meeting and characterized Machado as a courageous figure for many Venezuelans. She said the president intended to discuss conditions inside the country and the path forward following the collapse of Maduro’s government.

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Trump has indicated satisfaction with the interim government’s actions so far, particularly after securing U.S. access to Venezuelan oil supplies. Leavitt said the administration hopes Venezuela will eventually hold elections, though no timeline was specified.

Machado, 58, has remained outside Venezuela since collecting her Nobel Peace Prize last month, following her escape from the country by boat. She has argued that Maduro stole the 2024 election from opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, a claim supported by the United States.

During recent public remarks, Trump suggested Machado had offered to share her Nobel award with him, an idea the Norwegian Nobel Committee later rejected, stating that Nobel Prizes cannot be transferred or shared once awarded.

Following her White House meeting, Machado greeted supporters outside the building. She is expected to have pressed Trump to refocus U.S. policy on a democratic transition rather than long-term interim governance.

The administration’s Venezuela strategy has centered heavily on energy control. U.S. forces this week seized a sixth oil tanker linked to Venezuelan exports, part of a broader campaign to regulate oil shipments from the country. The military operation involved U.S. Marines and Navy personnel boarding the tanker in the Caribbean without resistance.

Separately, U.S. officials confirmed that the first American-brokered sale of Venezuelan oil since Maduro’s removal — valued at roughly $500 million — has been completed.

Washington has also highlighted the release of dozens of political prisoners in recent days, though officials acknowledge that hundreds remain detained.

Regional fallout continues from the January raid. Cuba on Thursday held a memorial honoring 32 soldiers killed during the operation, some of whom were assigned to Maduro’s security detail. The ceremony was attended by former Cuban leader Raúl Castro.