The White House reportedly asked María Corina Machado to stop by Washington before returning to Venezuela, according to a recent analysis by journalist David Alandete, correspondent for the newspaper ABC at the White House.
The request, according to Alandete, reflects the urgency of the Trump administration to demonstrate closeness to the Venezuelan opposition during a politically sensitive time.
The trigger is the unpopular oil agreement that Donald Trump announced on August 29 as “the largest oil agreement in history,” signed directly with the Chavista regime led by Delcy Rodríguez.
The agreement involves 17 Venezuelan oil fields with estimated reserves of about 65 billion barrels, a duration of 25 years, and a 35% U.S. participation through the company North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), linked to the Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, who has a record of investigations in the U.S., Switzerland, and Spain.
The agreement has proven to be very unpopular among the Venezuelan diaspora in Florida, a crucial electorate for Republicans in the run-up to the midterm elections on November 3rd, during which the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be renewed.
"Now there is a desire for María Corina Machado to come to Washington, to be around here, and to somehow express support for this agreement that now depends on Donald Trump," explained Alandete, who clarified that "from here, from Washington, the need has been communicated to María Corina Machado and her team for her to come here before returning to Venezuela."
Machado broke her silence on the agreement on September 3, expressing "sadness and anger," and raised direct questions: who exactly signs the pact, what guarantees exist, what benefits does Venezuela receive, and what real control do Venezuelans have over their own resources.
“The heritage of Venezuelan land does not belong to any illegitimate regime,” asserted the opposition leader, adding that “to attract genuine investments, it's not enough to have money; legitimacy is needed, the rule of law is necessary, transparency is essential, and legal security is required.”
Machado made it clear that he does not oppose U.S. participation in the reconstruction of Venezuela, but he drew a red line: “Only a democratically elected government that represents the feelings of the Venezuelans and truly embodies popular sovereignty is the only one that can sign such an agreement.”
The tension between Machado and Washington has been building up since January. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Trump chose to work with Delcy Rodríguez instead of yielding political prominence to the democratic opposition.
Machado visited the White House on January 15 —where he symbolically presented Trump with his Nobel Peace Prize medal— and returned on March 6 with a roadmap for the transition. On both occasions, he received the same message: patience.
In June, following the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on the 24th of that month, Machado attempted to return twice, according to the ABC correspondent at the White House. The first time was on a private plane from Virginia to Curacao, where Dutch authorities revoked the landing permit after signs that Washington did not support the trip. He then tried a commercial route from Panama, where he was also unable to board.
Officials from the Trump administration then leaked to media outlets like Axios anonymous statements describing Machado's insistence as "grotesque political opportunism." The State Department had to publicly clarify before Congress on July 15 that the U.S. would not prevent her return as she is a Venezuelan citizen with the full right to return.
Since then, Machado has maintained a more cautious profile, neither breaking with Trump nor distancing himself from Washington. Republican lawmakers from Florida, according to Alandete, have warned the president that chavismo might be buying time until he leaves the White House.
Officials from the administration, for their part, told reporters during a recent call that "democracy is not just about elections," a statement that Machado's team has been countering in Washington for months with a specific demand: a clear electoral calendar for Venezuela.
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