Recent Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of Venezuela's opposition movement, María Corina Machado, has for months supported numerous actions by the Trump administration aimed at weakening Nicolás Maduro's authoritarian regime in the South American country.
In October, when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado dedicated the honor to the people of Venezuela and to President Donald Trump, citing their devoted support in the fight for democracy.
"We are on the threshold of victory, and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve freedom and democracy," Machado said.
According to an exclusive Reuters report, Machado's diplomatic relationship with the Trump administration intensified at the start of Trump's second term, when she and members of her U.S.-based office met with senior officials to discuss Maduro's control over the Tren de Aragua gang.
Two people present at the meeting, interviewed by Reuters, said Machado video-called from her hideout in Venezuela, and her team met with Mike Waltz, then Trump's national security adviser.
Reuters reported that the meeting was part of a "high-stakes gamble" Machado undertook to maintain pressure on the Maduro regime, even as alignment with Trump-era policies sometimes negatively affected Venezuelan immigrants in the United States.
The reporting indicates that the opposition pushed the narrative that Maduro had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, discussing the theory publicly and privately when it aligned with the administration's priorities. Reuters was unable to determine whether these efforts influenced U.S. policy.
Machado declined to comment on the story. Waltz, now the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, did not respond to questions about the January 6 meeting, and Venezuela's Information Ministry did not reply to requests for comment on Maduro's reaction to the allegations.
According to the report, between January and April, Machado's team met in at least eight occasions with Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials, in which they talked about designating the Cártel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, according to two of the U.S.-based Venezuela opposition sources consulted by Reuters.
One of the central themes in the report is the moral struggle within Machado's camp, where the opposition, having already exhausted most of its options to oust Maduro, has turned to Trump for help.
Two opposition sources told Reuters Machado's team recognizes the risk of being seen as betraying Venezuelans but believes maintaining alignment with Trump offers the best chance in their quest for democracy. One source added that their ultimate goal remains the removal of Maduro, despite the potential costs.
Venezuelan politics experts say the strategy carries high stakes. David Smilde, a scholar at Tulane University, noted that if the approach succeeds, Machado could gain immense prestige among her countrymen. But failure, or any resulting U.S. military intervention that sparks instability, could leave her facing blame for both domestic and regional fallout.
Jimmy Story, a U.S. ambassador to Venezuela until 2023, told Reuters the opposition has run out of options.
"They've protested and been killed. We've asked them to negotiate, they negotiate, we asked them to do elections, they do elections, they win and he still won't leave–what remains but supporting this?"
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