Maria Corina Machado played her trump card in Washington this week surrendering her most prized possession to the President of the United States.
In what diplomats describe as a ‘bizarre’ diplomatic play at the White House, the Venezuelan opposition leader physically handed over her Nobel Peace Prize medal, seen beaming ear-to-ear in a photograph.
While the gleeful commander-in-chief called it a ‘wonderful gesture of mutual respect,’ diplomats saw it as an act of desperation.
While Trump was fine taking a date with Machado, his current strategy is married to Delcy Rodriguez, the current leader of Venezuela who served as Nicolas Maduro’s vice president.
One diplomat described Machado as Trump’s ‘side-piece.’
‘He isn’t looking for a long-term relationship with her,’ a diplomat explained.
Machado’s play was straightforward, if overly fawning: Heap a treasured prize on Trump to curry favor and force him to rethink his choices on her turmoil-ridden nation.
But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that the meeting did not change his ‘realistic assessment’ that she does not have the country’s support to lead in the interim.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado played her trump card on Thursday, surrendering her most prized possession to the President in the Oval Office
A close source claims her goal was not to ‘sway’ Donald Trump – but to gain more visibility
Despite the visit’s high profile, the mood behind closed doors was reportedly far less welcoming
In fact, despite the high profile visit, the mood behind closed doors was far less welcoming.
A White House insider familiar with the meeting told the Daily Mail: ‘The President appreciates the gesture of the prize, but his opinion of her leadership in Venezuela has not changed, and likely won’t change moving forward.’
Brian Naranjo, a diplomat who spent seven years at the embassy in Caracas and worked in the West Wing during the Bush administration, said that Trump ‘demonstrated zero respect for Machado’ by the way he hosted her.
‘[He] had her come in through the employee entrance, denied her press coverage in the Oval Office he daily uses as a public stage and then damned her with faint praise while purloining her Nobel Prize medal,’ Naranjo told the Daily Mail.
Insiders from Machado’s camp suggest this was a strategic move rather than a charm offensive.
A close source claims her goal was not to ‘sway’ the President – but to gain more visibility. ‘She wanted to go in there and advocate for the political prisoners and the democratic transition,’ the source said.
The face-to-face sit-down lasted just over an hour, marking the very first time the pair have met in person.
But after the lukewarm reception at the White House, Machado headed to Capitol Hill for a warmer welcome.
The bold play to win over the President came after he had already poured cold water on her ambitions, flatly dismissing the prospect of installing her to replace Nicolas Maduro
But after the lukewarm reception at the White House, Machado headed to Capitol Hill for a warmer welcome
There, she huddled with more than a dozen senators from both sides of the aisle, finding a far more ardent audience among lawmakers than she did in the West Wing.
Despite concerns about her ties to the Maduro regime, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy described Rodriguez, the country’s interim president, as a ‘smooth operator’ who is gaining a foothold in the country due to Trump’s support.
‘I hope elections happen, but I’m skeptical,’ Murphy explained.
Senator Rick Scott, posting a video of the two of them on X, explaining that they had a ‘very positive meeting,’ throwing his support publicly behind her.
But the US Senate cannot install Machado as the leader of Venezuela and the White House has indicated little interest in elevating her.
Machado was formally blocked from even appearing on the ballot in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election after a Maduro-stacked court banned her.
While she was forced to the sidelines, Machado threw her weight behind opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez, yet Maduro claimed the win for himself and clung to power- until his eventual fall.
‘The challenge for Machado is to see where goodwill gets her. It’s still not clear what role she will play in the transition,’ diplomat Brett Bruen said, summing up the meeting.
‘She needs to push Trump to get her a meaningful ministry in the government.’
