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The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado arrived at the White House on Thursday under a significant security detail to meet with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, with whom she had a lunch appointment.
The visit takes place just one day after the leader referred to Delcy Rodríguez, the interim president of Venezuela, as a "wonderful person," which has generated significant anticipation.
The visit from Machado comes amid strong speculation that the leader could offer the president her Nobel Peace Prize 2025, which she won for her role in advocating for democratic rights in Venezuela and her opposition to the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to receive that recognition, even claiming that he deserves it for his actions "to restore freedom in the hemisphere."
Machado arrived in Washington following the U.S. military operation on January 3 that culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife by the Delta Force, in an action directly ordered by Trump.
Since then, the opposition leader has reiterated that her coalition won the majority in the 2024 elections and should lead the new Venezuelan government.
However, the Trump administration has chosen to temporarily keep Rodríguez in the interim leadership position, supporting his management to stabilize the country during the transition.
Trump himself told reporters on Wednesday that he had had a "great conversation" with Rodríguez, whom he described as "a wonderful person" and "incredible."
White House officials explained that the meeting with Machado was requested by the opposition leader herself and that the president agreed out of courtesy.
"There are common interests," commented a source close to the National Security Council, referring to the institutional reconstruction of Venezuela and the strategic relationship between Washington and Caracas in the new post-Maduro scenario.
This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the current change in Venezuela would have been impossible without Machado.
Trump did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, but his meeting with the laureate could symbolize a gesture of reconciliation with the Venezuelan opposition and strengthen his regional leadership at a time when the United States is taking on a key role in the democratic transition of the South American country.
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