Trump expects to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in US

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump confirmed on Thursday, January 8, that he expected to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in the United States next week, signaling a potential diplomatic engagement as Washington reassessed Venezuela’s political future.

The confirmation came during a taped interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, where Trump said that he had been informed Machado would be arriving in the country soon.

“Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump said.

The prospective meeting would follow the recent US operation that led to the arrest and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In the aftermath, Delcy Rodríguez had been installed as interim president, while debate continued within Washington over who should ultimately lead the country during a transition period.

Trump reacts to María Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize

The interview also revived discussion surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize Machado received last year.

During the Fox News segment, Trump was asked whether he would accept the award if Machado chose to transfer it to him, an idea she has publicly entertained while praising Trump’s role in recent events.

“I’ve heard that she wants to do that. That’d be a great honor,” Trump replied.

Trump had repeatedly expressed interest in the Nobel Peace Prize and publicly criticized past decisions by the Nobel Committee.

In a separate interview with NBC News earlier this year, Trump rejected reporting suggesting that he had ruled out Machado as a potential interim leader due to resentment over her Nobel recognition. “She should not have won it,” Trump said at the time.

He added that the prize “had nothing to do” with his administration’s decisions regarding Venezuela’s leadership.

Trump questions Machado's support in Venezuela

Despite confirming the upcoming meeting, Trump had previously questioned Machado’s viability as Venezuela’s next leader. Speaking to reporters last week, the president said that her lack of domestic backing made it difficult to place her at the center of a transitional government.

“It would be very tough for her to be the leader, because she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” Trump said, responding to calls from Republican lawmakers urging the White House to back Machado.

Those remarks contrasted with the views of some GOP members of Congress, who had described Machado as the most legitimate representative of Venezuela’s opposition following Maduro’s removal.

Marco Rubio cites urgency and limited opposition presence

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s reservations during a Sunday interview with NBC News, while also praising Machado personally. 

Rubio argued that the immediate situation in Venezuela required leadership capable of acting swiftly inside the country.

“She’s fantastic,” Rubio said, before adding, “Unfortunately, the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present inside of Venezuela.”

Rubio emphasized that the administration was focused on “short-term things that have to be addressed right away,” suggesting that logistical realities, rather than political preference, shaped the decision to support an interim arrangement without Machado at its head.

Visit details still unconfirmed by both sides

As of Thursday night, neither the White House nor Machado’s representatives had released a formal schedule or confirmed the details of the expected meeting.

A spokesperson for Machado did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and US officials declined to provide specifics about the timing or format of the discussion.

If the meeting proceeds, it would mark Trump’s first direct engagement with Machado since the change in Venezuela’s leadership and could signal how the administration intended to balance interim governance with longer-term political reform.