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US President Donald Trump met Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday, a meeting confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt amid continued uncertainty over Washington’s stance on Venezuela’s political future.“I know the President was looking forward to this meeting, and he was expecting it to be a good and positive discussion with Miss Machado, who is really a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela,” Leavitt said during a White House press briefing.When asked whether Trump still agrees with his earlier assertion that Machado did not have the necessary support to lead Venezuela, Leavitt said the president’s position remained unchanged.
“I think the president’s assessment that you just pointed out was based on realities on the ground. It was a realistic assessment based on what the president was reading and hearing from his advisors and national security team, and at this moment in time,” she said.Leavitt added that the president is “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day,” but said she could not provide a timeline.The meeting comes less than two weeks after US forces captured former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas and brought them to New York to face drug trafficking charges.
Machado’s political party is widely considered to have won Venezuela’s disputed 2024 elections, results that were rejected by Maduro before his capture.While he's Machado at the White House, Trump has previously questioned her credibility to run Venezuela and raised doubts about his commitment to backing democratic rule in the country. At the same time, Trump and his senior advisers have signalled a willingness to work with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, who along with other members of the deposed leader’s inner circle continues to oversee day-to-day government operations.
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