Venezuela today: Trump reconsiders Machado's role in the country's political transition

Donald Trump has changed his stance regarding Venezuela’s political future. In statements made this Tuesday, the U.S. president left open the possibility that María Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, could actively participate in the country’s next steps. “Maybe we can involve her in some way. I would love to do that,” Trump said after meeting with Machado at the White House last week.

The change in the Trump administration’s position towards the Venezuelan opposition

Just a week ago, Trump had been more cautious in his comments about Machado, not explicitly ruling out a future role for her but not offering her direct support either. Now, his words open for the first time a real window for the opposition leader, who remained in hiding in Venezuela for months until she left the country on December 10 in a covert operation to collect her Nobel Prize, to play a significant role in the political transformation process underway in the South American territory.

In his first public phone contact with Machado recently, Trump had already praised her background, describing her as “a fantastic person.” On that occasion, he also expressed satisfaction with the progress made: “I had a strong feeling against Venezuela, and now I love her. They have been working very well with us.”

The political context: from Maduro to Rodríguez

The capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 by U.S. forces in Caracas marked a turning point in recent Venezuelan history. Two days after this event, Delcy Rodríguez, who was vice president during the previous regime, assumed leadership of the interim government with the support of the Trump Administration. This transition had not opened apparent spaces for opposition figures like Machado to participate in the reconfiguration of power.

The symbolic gesture of Machado towards Trump during their meeting — presenting him with the Nobel Prize medal in recognition of what she described as “extraordinary leadership in promoting peace through strength, advancing diplomacy, and defending freedom and prosperity” — seems to have carried weight in this reconsideration. Trump then valued the present as “a wonderful gesture of mutual respect.”

Perspectives for Venezuela in the coming months

Trump’s statements this Tuesday significantly change the political landscape in Venezuela. For the first time, there is a formal possibility that the opposition, composed of figures like Machado, could participate in the country’s future decisions. This contrasts notably with the days immediately after Maduro’s capture, when political leadership appeared to be concentrated solely in the hands of Rodríguez’s government and its allies.

The evolution in Trump’s stance reflects both the recognition of Machado’s political importance and the complex geopolitical calculations surrounding the Venezuelan transition. As Venezuela navigates this critical period of transformation, future interactions between Washington, the opposition, and the interim government will determine the country’s political architecture in the coming months.