Trump Reportedly Advised Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado To Not Return To The Country Our Of Fear For Her Safety

President Donald Trump advised Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado against returning to the country for now due to concerns about her safety, according to a new report.

The suggestion was detailed by The New York Times in a new report. It took place during a breakfast at the White House with Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that lasted about two hours.

The outlet noted that other Trump officials have made similar recommendations to Machado over the past weeks. The White House's decision to prioritize stabilizing the country under Delcy Rodriguez has created a rift with Machado, seeking a political transition.

In fact, the Department of Justice notified the court holding the case against former authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro that it has formally recognized Rodriguez as the country's legitimate head of State.

Machado remains far more popular in Venezuela than Rodriguez, who was Maduro's vice president and a staple of the country's repressive regime before his capture.

A February poll by AtlasIntel survey conducted for Bloomberg News found that Machado registered 56% of approval, Edmundo González 51%, Rodríguez 29%, and Nicolás Maduro 22%.

The survey also revealed that 58% of respondents said they expect to be able to purchase more goods within six months, even though more than half described their family's current economic situation as difficult. At the same time, corruption, poverty, unemployment and democratic concerns remain the most cited national problems.

However, the country's effort to revive its oil industry faces a critical obstacle: a shortage of skilled workers after decades of economic collapse and political turmoil drove thousands of engineers, geologists and technicians abroad.

Oil output has fallen from more than 3 million barrels per day in 2002 to under 1 million today, according to industry estimates cited by Bloomberg. The collapse followed years of underinvestment, political purges and infrastructure deterioration at state-run Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA). Rebuilding the sector could require as much as $100 billion in investment.

Recruiters, however, say the biggest constraint may not be capital but talent. "There won't be enough talent in Venezuela for all the demand that's coming," said Jesús Castillo, managing partner at executive search firm Contevenca. "We're already in a war for talent in Venezuela, and this will accelerate."

Many of the professionals who once powered the industry now work across the Americas and beyond. Some left after a mass firing of PDVSA workers during a 2002 strike under former President Hugo Chávez. Others departed as the economy deteriorated in the following years.