In a significant development, US President Donald Trump has announced he expects to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado. The announcement came during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that aired on Thursday night.
A Long-Awaited Meeting and a Dramatic Escape
President Trump stated, "I understand she is coming in next week sometime. I look forward to saying hello to her." This potential meeting follows a series of dramatic events that have reshaped the political landscape in Venezuela. Machado returned to the global spotlight after Trump declared on Saturday that Venezuela's long-time leader, Nicolas Maduro, had been "captured" following large-scale American military strikes.
Machado, who spent over a year in hiding within Venezuela under constant threat from state authorities, made a perilous escape to receive her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. According to US media reports and veteran Bryan Stern of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, her extraction, dubbed Operation Golden Dynamite, involved disguises, a wig, a journey by wooden boat from a Venezuelan fishing village to Curacao, and a final private flight to Norway.
Machado Hails "The Hour of Freedom"
Hours after President Trump's announcement of Maduro's capture, Maria Corina Machado released a powerful statement. She hailed the action by US forces, declaring that Washington had "fulfilled its promise" and signaling the start of a democratic transition. She asserted that Maduro would now face international justice for crimes against Venezuelans and others.
"The HOUR OF FREEDOM has arrived!" Machado proclaimed. She argued that Maduro's refusal to accept a negotiated exit left the United States with no alternative. "We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it," she said, framing the event as a vindication of years of opposition struggle and the "hour of the citizens."
Political Stances and Future Uncertainties
Machado has been a consistent and vocal supporter of Trump's aggressive stance against the Maduro regime, openly backing external pressure, including military intervention, to end what she calls communist rule. In December, she told CBS News she was "absolutely" supportive of his strategy, calling Trump a "champion of freedom in this hemisphere."
However, in a surprising twist, President Trump expressed doubts about Machado's leadership potential shortly after the military action. "I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country," he said at a press conference.
Undeterred, Machado, in an earlier appearance on Fox News this week, expressed her desire to meet Trump to present him with the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, an award the US President has openly expressed interest in receiving. She stated her wish to personally tell him that the Venezuelan people wanted to share the prize with him.
Regarding her future, Machado had previously stated her intention to return to Venezuela, but only when security conditions are right, regardless of whether Maduro remained in power. Her journey from hiding to the global stage, and now a potential meeting with the US President, marks a pivotal chapter in Venezuela's ongoing political saga.
