US Intelligence Chief Visits Maduro's Successor as Opposition Sees Hope Crushed
In a move seen as a devastating blow to Venezuela's opposition, the CIA chief flew in to meet María Corina Machado, the Nobel laureate who handed over her peace prize medal to Donald Trump. Despite this gesture, experts say Trump has effectively neutralized the opposition movement, sidelining Machado and other leaders.
Machado had vowed to become the country's first female president but now faces a long shot at power. The conservative politician predicted freedom was coming to Venezuela after years of economic turmoil under Maduro. However, her opposition movement has been marginalized since Trump's pre-dawn assault on Caracas momentarily ignited hopes of democratic change.
In contrast, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, who is governing as acting president with support from other key allies, appears to have won Trump's backing. The US delegation described their meeting in Washington, citing improved ties between the two nations, while criticizing Machado for trying to "shake things up."
The visit has been widely viewed as a humiliation for Machado, and her move was seen as an attempt to win back Trump's favor after being discarded by him. Eva Golinger, a US lawyer who advised Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez, said Trump saw Machado as weak due to handing over her Nobel prize medal.
Trump officials have openly discussed their decision to work with Maduro's allies, many of whom face serious human rights charges. The move is seen as a major betrayal by former Turkish diplomat Imdat Oner, who believes the opposition had "bet fully on the Trump administration" but were disappointed when it didn't deliver.
With Machado effectively out of the game for now, analysts believe Rodríguez will maintain power with little opposition from within her own ranks. The arrival of the CIA director in Caracas has also been seen as a humiliating moment for Rodríguez and her administration.
In a move seen as a devastating blow to Venezuela's opposition, the CIA chief flew in to meet María Corina Machado, the Nobel laureate who handed over her peace prize medal to Donald Trump. Despite this gesture, experts say Trump has effectively neutralized the opposition movement, sidelining Machado and other leaders.
Machado had vowed to become the country's first female president but now faces a long shot at power. The conservative politician predicted freedom was coming to Venezuela after years of economic turmoil under Maduro. However, her opposition movement has been marginalized since Trump's pre-dawn assault on Caracas momentarily ignited hopes of democratic change.
In contrast, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, who is governing as acting president with support from other key allies, appears to have won Trump's backing. The US delegation described their meeting in Washington, citing improved ties between the two nations, while criticizing Machado for trying to "shake things up."
The visit has been widely viewed as a humiliation for Machado, and her move was seen as an attempt to win back Trump's favor after being discarded by him. Eva Golinger, a US lawyer who advised Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez, said Trump saw Machado as weak due to handing over her Nobel prize medal.
Trump officials have openly discussed their decision to work with Maduro's allies, many of whom face serious human rights charges. The move is seen as a major betrayal by former Turkish diplomat Imdat Oner, who believes the opposition had "bet fully on the Trump administration" but were disappointed when it didn't deliver.
With Machado effectively out of the game for now, analysts believe Rodríguez will maintain power with little opposition from within her own ranks. The arrival of the CIA director in Caracas has also been seen as a humiliating moment for Rodríguez and her administration.
machado might wanna rethink her strategy or just retire already 
. I mean, Trump's just making things worse by backing Maduro's crew. It's like they're playing with fire here. These people are already struggling so much with the economy... who knows what's gonna happen next? The fact that Machado had to hand over her Nobel Prize medal to get attention from Trump is just sad 
. And now she's out of the game? It's like their hopes and dreams were crushed 
. I don't think this is about democracy or freedom at all... it feels like some kinda game where they're pawns being moved around by these powerful players 
.
i just saw this news about María Corina Machado and i'm like, what happened to the hope she had for Venezuela's democracy? it seems like trump is just playing the opposition like a fiddle 
and machado gets punished for trying to shake things up 
meanwhile delcy rodriguez gets the support of the us delegation, which is pretty shady considering trump has been all over Maduro's back lately 
i mean, what do you think happened behind closed doors in that meeting? did they just pretend to be friends or is there more to it than meets the eye? 
they were holding on to hope that Trump would come through for them but now it seems like he just crushed their dreams 
machado was always seen as the voice of reason in the opposition movement, and to see her marginalized by trump's team is devastating 
. I mean, who needs that kind of pressure? It feels like Trump is just making it impossible for anyone in Venezuela to speak out against him. The opposition was always going to be tough, but when you add this kind of foreign interference... ugh. It's a tough situation all around.
on the other hand Rodríguez is still good to go but I don't know how long that'll last 
I don't think the US government's decision to back Maduro's allies is going to change much for Venezuela, at least not anytime soon. It just seems like they're trying to prop up their friend without really thinking about the consequences. I mean, Machado was a key player in the opposition movement and now she's basically out of the picture. That's gotta be super discouraging for her and her supporters.
She was all up 4 b Venezuela's first female president but now shes basically outta the running lol 
. Its like Trump saw her as weak cuz she handed over her Nobel prize medal 
& now shes just a footnote in history 
. Meanwhile Delcy Rodríguez is over here like "hey, I got ur back, Trump" 
& shes still actin as president lol 
sadly i think Rodríguez is gonna be back in power now and that's not good news either 
. Can't we all just get along? 
. and what about all these human rights charges that people are talking about? shouldn't Trump be doing something about that? 