Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado arrives at the Capitol to meet with U.S. senators after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 15, 2026.
Elizabeth Franz | Reuters
US President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado on Thursday in a high-stakes meeting that could impact how the Republican administration seeks to shape South America’s political future.
After the meeting, Machado told reporters he had presented Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize, but it was not immediately clear whether Trump had received the medal he had coveted for years. Machado said he did so in recognition of his commitment to freedom for the Venezuelan people.
The luncheon apparently lasted just over an hour, and was the first time the two had met in person. Machado later met with more than a dozen Republican and Democratic senators at the Capitol, where she generally found more enthusiastic allies.
As the trip continued, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt said President Trump looked forward to meeting with Machado but stood by his “realistic” assessment that he currently does not have the support he needs to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring sea escape in December, is competing with Venezuelan officials to get President Trump’s ear and ensure he has a role in governing the country going forward.
After the United States captured Venezuela’s longtime leader Nicolás Maduro in a snatch-and-snatch operation this month, various opposition groups, the Venezuelan diaspora, and politicians in the United States and across Latin America expressed hope that Venezuela would begin a process of democratization.
