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The President of the United States, Donald Trump, had an unexpected moment this past Saturday night when he called the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado during a private dinner held at his Trump National Doral complex in Miami, just hours after a regional summit convened by the White House had concluded.
The meeting had an informal tone and served as a conclusion to two intense days of political discussions with Latin American leaders focused on issues of regional security, migration, and drug trafficking within the framework of the newly established Shield of the Americas alliance.
Trump had returned that same night from a trip to Dover Air Force Base, where he participated in an official event. According to ABC, once in Miami, he had dinner with the mayor of Doral, Christi Fraga; the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio; and several members of his political team.
According to the report by journalist Orlando Avendaño from Voz News, during the conversation at the table, the name Machado came up, a figure with significant political influence among the Venezuelan community in South Florida.
Spontaneously, Trump picked up his phone and decided to call her right then and there. When the opposition leader answered, the president turned on the speakerphone so that those present could hear the conversation.
“Everyone loves you here,” Trump said as he greeted her, eliciting smiles from those in attendance. The call was brief and had a casual tone, more akin to an informal conversation than a prepared diplomatic contact.
The episode occurred just one day after a much more private meeting at the White House. On Friday, Trump met with Machado for about 90 minutes alongside his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In that meeting, the current phase of political transition that Venezuela is undergoing was discussed. Washington is in contact with the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez while pushing for a series of conditions that include energy cooperation, asset handover, military collaboration, and the release of political prisoners.
Machado, who has expressed his intention to return to Venezuela soon after years of political persecution, maintains a busy international agenda.
The White House believes that it could play a significant role in the country's political future, although they insist that first, the necessary institutional stability must be consolidated to move toward an electoral process with guarantees.
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