The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced that he will meet next week in Washington with the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, as he stated during an interview with the Fox News network.
“I understand she will arrive next week, and I hope to greet her,” Trump said when asked if he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize that Machado wishes to present to him as a gesture of gratitude. “I’ve heard he wants to do it; it would be a great honor,” the president added during his conversation with host Sean Hannity, who recalled that Machado dedicated the Nobel to Trump and expressed his intention to deliver it personally for ordering the military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
In the same interview, Hannity emphasized that María Corina Machado received "more than 92 percent of the votes" to lead the opposition in 2023, but was excluded from the presidential race by the decision of the Chavista regime. Trump, for his part, described her as "a good person."
The interest shown by the president contrasts with his previous statements about the opposition leader, when after Maduro's arrest he stated that she "did not have the support or respect within the country" to lead Venezuela, according to Fox News. This time, Trump assured that the South American country "will be rebuilt" and that in the near future "there will be elections."
During the interview, the U.S. president also defended his role in international stability, stating that "he ended eight wars." This will be the first time he meets in person with Machado since Maduro's capture on January 3rd.
The interest of the American president in meeting with the opposition leader comes just days after she stated in an interview with Fox News her desire to "share" the Nobel with Trump, whom she thanked "for bringing Maduro to justice." Machado considered the American military operation on January 3rd as "a great step towards democratic transition" in Venezuela.
The gesture of the opposition figure generated an immediate response from the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which reminded that "a Nobel Prize cannot be revoked or transferred to others." "Once the laureate or laureates have been announced, the decision is final," explained spokesperson Erik Aasheim to the EFE agency. Aasheim clarified that the winners can freely dispose of the prize money but cannot transfer the recognition.
Trump also confirmed that this Friday he will meet at the White House with the top executives of the energy sector to coordinate the oil reconstruction of Venezuela. In statements made during the same interview with Fox, the president asserted that the United States will be “in charge of the oil” of the South American country and that fourteen international companies “will rebuild the entire oil infrastructure and invest at least 100 billion dollars.”
The announcement of the meeting with Machado comes amid the transition process that Venezuela is undergoing following the capture of Nicolás Maduro and the assumption of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president.
Filed under:
