Maria Corina Machado: Maduro thought by banning me, he would stop us from winning
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expresses gratitude to President Donald Trump for ‘bringing Maduro to justice’ on ‘Hannity.’
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week.
During an appearance on Fox News' "Hannity," Trump was asked if he intends to meet with Machado after the U.S. struck Venezuela and captured its former president, Nicolás Maduro.
"Well, I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her," Trump said.
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President Donald Trump said he plans to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in Washington next week. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
This will be Trump's first meeting with Machado, who the U.S. president stated "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" to lead.
According to reports, Trump’s refusal to support Machado was linked to her accepting the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump believed he deserved.
But Trump later told NBC News that while he believed Machado should not have won the award, her acceptance of the prize had "nothing to do with my decision" about the prospect of her leading Venezuela.
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President Donald Trump has said Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado "doesn't have the support within or the respect within the country" to lead. (REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno)
Trump has said it will take time for Venezuela, now led by interim acting President Delcy Rodriguez, to reach a place where it can hold elections.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said the idea of swiftly scheduling elections is "absurd."
"These things take time. There's a process," he told CBS News.
Venezuela is one of the biggest producers of oil, and its oil industry has become a focus of the Trump administration. Officials said oil sales to the U.S. will start immediately with an initial shipment of about 30 million to 50 million barrels and that the shipments will continue indefinitely.
The Trump administration has said it will take time for Venezuela to reach a place where it can hold elections. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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Trump said he will meet on Friday at the White House with oil executives that he has stressed will play a key role in rebuilding Venezuela's oil industry.
"They're going to rebuild the whole oil infrastructure. They're going to spend at least $100 billion, and it's an unbelievable oil that they have, and an unbelievable quality of oil and amount of oil," he said.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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