The Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, María Corina Machado, will meet in person for the first time with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, this Thursday (15), after an American operation deposed her former adversary, the dictator Nicolás Maduro.
Machado received the for his fight against what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called a dictatorship. The day she received the award was the last time she spoke to Trump, as she reported on Fox News’ “Hannity” program earlier this month.
The leader, widely considered Maduro’s most credible opponent, to travel to Norway and receive the award. She told Hannity that she had not yet returned to her country, but that she planned to return as soon as possible.
Over the past two years, she, a 58-year-old industrial engineer, has helped revitalize a politically disengaged population in Venezuela after more than a decade of economic and social collapse.
It went underground after the 2024 elections, when electoral authorities allied with Maduro declared his re-election in a vote widely considered fraudulent.
The government never released the official results, but what was collected by the opposition, verified by an independent election observer, showed that the candidate supported by Machado had won handily.
Maduro is now jailed in New York City, facing drug trafficking charges — which he denies — after being in a daring operation on January 3.
Its former vice president, , is governing Venezuela under US supervision.
American support for María Corina
The visit to the White House comes amid the American president’s decision not to endorse it following Maduro’s capture of the leader, and which led to Rodríguez’s inauguration.
Shortly after the January 3 operation, Trump said it would be difficult for Machado to lead Venezuela, saying she does not have the support or respect of the people.
However, Machado has something Trump has long wanted — a Nobel Prize. She suggested she would offer her prize to the US president, and he said it would be an “honour” to receive it, although the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred.
When asked on Friday (9) whether receiving the award from Machado would make him reconsider his view of her role in Venezuela, Trump did not respond directly.
With information from CNN
