Donald Trump considers Maria Corina Machado's involvement in Venezuela's future: “An incredibly nice woman who also did a really extraordinary thing”

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he is considering the involvement, in one form or another, of the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Maria Corina Machado, in the political life of Venezuela, without specifying what role she might have, Reuters and CNN note.

“We're talking to her and maybe we can get her involved in some way. I'd love to be able to do that; Maria, maybe we can do that,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to Machado, who met with him last week and presented her with the Nobel Peace Prize medal.

The US president described Machado as “an incredibly nice woman who also did, as you know, a really extraordinary thing.”

Donald Trump's remarks mark a shift in tone from the US president, who had previously questioned Maria Corina Machado's popularity and ability to lead Venezuela after the United States captured President Nicolas Maduro in an operation earlier this month.

In 2024, Maria Corina Machado's party claimed to have obtained 70% of the votes in the presidential election.

“I felt very strong opposition to Venezuela, and now I like Venezuela. They worked very well with us. It was very nice,” Trump told reporters, referring to his administration's cooperation with Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez.

Machado fled Venezuela in early December, the country where he had been living in hiding since August 2024, in order to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.