Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet U.S. senators after her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., Jan. 15, 2026.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Thursday in a high-stakes encounter that could affect how the Republican administration seeks to shape the South American country’s political future.
After the meeting, Machado told reporters she had presented Trump her Nobel Peace Prize, though it was not immediately clear whether he had accepted the medal, which he has long coveted. Machado said she had done so in recognition of his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
The lunch meeting, which appeared to last slightly over an hour, marked the first time the two have met in person. Machado then met with more than a dozen senators, both Republican and Democratic, on Capitol Hill, where she has generally found more enthusiastic allies.
While the visit was ongoing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to meeting Machado, but that he stood by his “realistic” assessment that she did not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring seaborne escape in December, is competing for Trump’s ear with members of Venezuela’s government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward.
After the U.S. captured Venezuela’s longtime leader, Nicolas Maduro, in a snatch-and-grab operation this month, various opposition figures, members of Venezuela’s diaspora and politicians throughout the U.S. and Latin America have expressed hope that Venezuela will begin the process of democratization.
