People who know what’s going on allege that President Donald Trump is quietly breaking up with Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado for very personal reasons. People who work at the White House say that Trump’s anger is mostly because Machado accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, which he has desired for a long time.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one person familiar with Trump’s thinking told the Washington Post. “Her acceptance of the prize was an ‘ultimate sin.’”
Machado later dedicated the award to Trump, but aides say the gesture came too late to repair the damage.
Over the weekend, Trump said he has not yet spoken with Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who emerged after a military coup removed Nicolás Maduro from power.
A day earlier, Trump publicly downplayed Machado’s future, saying “it would be very tough for her to be the leader” and arguing she “doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country.” People close to Machado said those comments shocked them. Her nominee, Edmundo González, got more than two-thirds of the vote in last year’s election. Maduro refused to accept this and stepped down.
Officials in Washington argue that Trump’s plans still depend heavily on Venezuela’s huge oil reserves. Rodríguez has a strong reason to work with the US because of the country’s oil resources, but he also has leverage if discussions break down.
Maduro’s removal came through Operation “Absolute Resolve,” a military effort Trump has pointed to as evidence of his growing influence abroad. Following events in Caracas, he warned that Cuba, Colombia, and Iran “should be very careful,” signaling a broader hardline posture.
The armed forces in Venezuela have named Rodríguez, who used to be vice president, as interim president. Many Republicans and other people who favor Machado have quickly come to her defense. Carlos Gimenez, a congressman, suggested that she would win an election if one were held today. Florida politicians María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart both publicly confirmed their support for her, saying that she is key to any democratic transition.
Critics argue that Trump’s stance is driven by personal resentment. Former US ambassador Michael McFaul said Trump threw Machado “under the bus” over the Nobel. Another former White House official was blunter: “The reason it’s not Machado is Trump is petty! Machado took his Nobel Peace Prize.”
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