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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated this Friday that the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado "could be involved in some aspect" of the process in Venezuela.
His statement came when he was asked about his upcoming meeting with her in Washington next week and about the Nobel Peace Prize that, according to Trump himself, Machado wants to personally present to him.
“I will have to talk to her. She could be involved in some aspect of this. I will have to talk to her,” Trump responded, without specifying what role Machado would play or in what areas she might participate. He added that he thought it was “very nice” that she wanted to travel and reiterated: “I hope so.”
The comment was made in the context of questions about whether the eventual gesture from the Nobel could change his stance on Machado's role in Venezuela.
Trump insisted that he first needed to talk with her and linked the topic to his own narrative of foreign policy, stating that he has "ended eight wars" and that he can't think of anyone “in history” who deserves the Nobel “more” than he does, in contrast to Barack Obama, whom he criticized for receiving the award "almost immediately" after taking office.
At the beginning of the week, Trump had stated in an interview with Fox News that he looked forward to greeting Machado when she arrived in Washington and that he would consider it “a great honor” to receive the Nobel as a gesture of gratitude for the military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
In that conversation, the host Sean Hannity mentioned that Machado had received over 92% of the votes to lead the opposition in 2023, although she was excluded from the presidential race by the decision of Chavismo, according to the text.
The material also emphasizes that Trump's interest in receiving Machado contrasts with previous statements attributed to the president after Maduro's arrest, when he claimed that she "did not have the support or respect within the country" to lead Venezuela.
However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute reminded that the Nobel Prize “cannot be revoked or transferred” and that, once the laureate is announced, “the decision is forever”; although the winners can allocate the prize money, they cannot relinquish the recognition.
Trump did not specify what exactly Machado's involvement would entail or whether her role would be formal or advisory, only mentioning that "he will have to talk to her" and that "she could be involved" in "some aspect" of the process in Venezuela.
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