Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado may hold the Nobel Peace Prize, but she knows there is only one foreign endorsement that really matters: Donald Trump's.
She will meet the US president at the White House on Thursday, after publicly offering to share her Nobel with him - a prize he has long coveted.
Trump has said it would be an 'honour' to accept the award, although the Norwegian Nobel Institute said legally it is not possible to transfer the prize. Previously, Trump had criticised the Nobel committee for bypassing him and giving Machado the award.
Largely, he has appeared cool towards Machado, who was given the award in recognition of her long fight for democracy in Venezuela. In 2023, she won the opposition primary by a landslide, and was barred from running against Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, whose re-election a year later was widely condemned as illegitimate.
Yet after a US operation ousted Maduro earlier this month, Trump backed Maduro's vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, saying Machado was not respected enough to lead the country.
Now, she will be hoping to use her face time with the US president to persuade him that his decision to back Rodríguez's interim government is a mistake, and that her opposition coalition should be in charge of this transition.
When BBC Mundo spoke to Machado after her most recent conversation with Trump – before the US intervened in Venezuela on 3 January – she thanked him for what he was doing 'for peace, freedom, and democracy', insisting that together they would liberate Venezuela.
But following the US operation, Trump announced that he planned to run Venezuela himself and would keep Rodríguez's interim government in power, stating she was essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.
Trump's upcoming meeting with Machado could shift dynamics. His personal relationships with politicians are famously unpredictable, which means Machado's future role depends not just on her advocacy but also on Rodríguez's subsequent actions.
While many opposition supporters were shocked when Trump sidelined Machado for Rodríguez, some now understand the reasoning. Machado is a polarizing figure; admired by supporters for her unifying efforts, yet loathed by Maduro's regime.
In a climate where expressing public support for Machado is risky—given the strength of the current government and its military ties—her meeting with Trump is seen as crucial.
As Machado presses Trump on the future of Venezuela, the internal divisions among Venezuelans about leadership in this turbulent period add complexity to her mission.
