Trump Invites Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado to White House

US President Donald Trump has invited Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado to the White House following the arrest of former President Nicolas Maduro on drug-related charges. The move marks a shift after Trump previously sidelined Machado, questioning her support at home. Machado, who recently emerged from hiding to receive her Nobel Prize, suggested sharing the award with Trump, but the Nobel Institute clarified that the prize cannot be transferred or shared.

US President Donald Trump has invited Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado to the White House for a meeting scheduled for Thursday, according to reports by US media on Monday evening. The invitation signals a notable change in tone from the Trump administration toward Machado, who has long been a central figure in Venezuela’s opposition politics but had previously been sidelined by Washington.
The development follows Trump’s recent order authorizing a military operation in Venezuela, an operation that resulted in the arrest and transfer of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro to the United States. Maduro is now facing a series of charges connected to alleged drug smuggling, accusations that US authorities have repeatedly raised over the years as part of their efforts to link the former Venezuelan leader to international narcotics trafficking networks.
Trump’s decision to invite Machado comes despite a history of strained relations between the two. In the past, the US president had dismissed Machado as a viable successor to Maduro, arguing that she did not command sufficient support or respect within Venezuela to effectively lead the country. Instead of backing her, Trump had focused diplomatic efforts on engaging with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, through talks aimed at managing the political transition in Venezuela.
Machado, however, has remained one of the most recognizable and outspoken voices of the Venezuelan opposition. For months, she was forced into hiding amid mounting pressure, threats, and restrictions imposed by the Maduro government. She re-emerged publicly in December when she traveled to Oslo to receive her Nobel Peace Prize, marking her first public appearance after a prolonged period out of sight. Following the ceremony, Machado disclosed that she had received assistance from the United States to leave Venezuela discreetly and avoid detection by authorities.
Trump, for his part, has frequently expressed his own desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He has consistently praised what he describes as his achievements in resolving or preventing conflicts around the world, often citing these efforts as justification for being awarded the prestigious honor, though many of his claims have been challenged by critics and international observers.
In what appeared to be an attempt to ease tensions and build goodwill with the US president, Machado suggested that she might be willing to give Trump her Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, she said she had not yet handed over the prize but would welcome the opportunity to personally tell Trump that the Venezuelan people wished to give it to him and share it with him, stressing that she viewed the award as belonging to the people of Venezuela rather than to herself alone.
Her comments, however, quickly drew a response from the Nobel Institute in Oslo, which moved to clarify the rules governing the prize. In a statement, the institute emphasized that a Nobel Prize cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to another individual under any circumstances, and that once the prize has been awarded, the decision is final and stands for all time.