US intelligence chief visits Maduro's successor, Machado vows to become Venezuela's first female president
The CIA director has flown to Venezuela to meet the country's new leader after US forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn raid. In a surprising move, opposition politician María Corina Machado handed her Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump, who has since given his support to Maduro's vice-president Delcy Rodríguez.
Machado, who was widely expected to become the country's next leader after the election, now predicts freedom is coming to Venezuela after years of economic hardship and authoritarianism under Maduro. "I believe I will be elected as president of Venezuela - the first woman president of Venezuela," she told Fox News.
Despite Machado's optimism, experts say Trump has marginalized her opposition movement since his raid on Caracas, which sparked hopes of imminent democratic change. The US president gave Rodríguez a warm endorsement, calling her a "terrific person", in contrast to Machado.
Trump's decision was reportedly influenced by personal animosity towards Machado and CIA advice that she would struggle to prevent a security breakdown by bringing the military under control. The move has been criticized as brutal for opposition forces who are now sidelined.
Machado had hoped to use her visit to Trump's White House as leverage, but it seems unlikely to change his mind. Trump officials have also signaled their willingness to work with Maduro's closest allies, many of whom have been implicated in human rights abuses.
Critics argue that Trump is betraying the Chavismo movement's ideals and has lost faith in the opposition. "What we're witnessing is a clear betrayal... It's just farcical," said Eva Golinger, a US lawyer who advised Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez.
The US has been trying to establish improved relations with Venezuela since the raid on Caracas. The country's oil reserves have already been opened up to US companies, and Rodríguez's administration is complying with key demands made by Trump.
As tensions in Venezuela remain high, Machado's chances of becoming president now seem remote. "Machado's hands are tied... she definitely understands that she has already been sidelined," said Imdat Oner, a former Turkish diplomat in Venezuela.
The CIA director's visit to Caracas was seen as a humiliating moment for Rodríguez and her administration, which is struggling to maintain power after the US-backed coup. The agents who abducted Maduro had previously infiltrated his inner circle, providing key information that led to his arrest.
The CIA director has flown to Venezuela to meet the country's new leader after US forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro in a pre-dawn raid. In a surprising move, opposition politician María Corina Machado handed her Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump, who has since given his support to Maduro's vice-president Delcy Rodríguez.
Machado, who was widely expected to become the country's next leader after the election, now predicts freedom is coming to Venezuela after years of economic hardship and authoritarianism under Maduro. "I believe I will be elected as president of Venezuela - the first woman president of Venezuela," she told Fox News.
Despite Machado's optimism, experts say Trump has marginalized her opposition movement since his raid on Caracas, which sparked hopes of imminent democratic change. The US president gave Rodríguez a warm endorsement, calling her a "terrific person", in contrast to Machado.
Trump's decision was reportedly influenced by personal animosity towards Machado and CIA advice that she would struggle to prevent a security breakdown by bringing the military under control. The move has been criticized as brutal for opposition forces who are now sidelined.
Machado had hoped to use her visit to Trump's White House as leverage, but it seems unlikely to change his mind. Trump officials have also signaled their willingness to work with Maduro's closest allies, many of whom have been implicated in human rights abuses.
Critics argue that Trump is betraying the Chavismo movement's ideals and has lost faith in the opposition. "What we're witnessing is a clear betrayal... It's just farcical," said Eva Golinger, a US lawyer who advised Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chávez.
The US has been trying to establish improved relations with Venezuela since the raid on Caracas. The country's oil reserves have already been opened up to US companies, and Rodríguez's administration is complying with key demands made by Trump.
As tensions in Venezuela remain high, Machado's chances of becoming president now seem remote. "Machado's hands are tied... she definitely understands that she has already been sidelined," said Imdat Oner, a former Turkish diplomat in Venezuela.
The CIA director's visit to Caracas was seen as a humiliating moment for Rodríguez and her administration, which is struggling to maintain power after the US-backed coup. The agents who abducted Maduro had previously infiltrated his inner circle, providing key information that led to his arrest.
... I mean, Machado's chances of becoming president are now basically zero 
. Trump's move is just a huge disappointment 
. The US government should be supporting democracy and human rights in Venezuela, not undermining it 
. It's like they're playing politics with people's lives 
. And what really gets me is that Trump gave his support to Delcy Rodríguez... she's been accused of all these human rights abuses 
. I just don't get why he can't see the harm he's causing 
. The CIA director's visit was a pretty dramatic moment for Venezuela too 
. It's like they're playing a game of power politics, not helping the people who need it most 
.
. And maybe some subheadings to break up the text 
. It would look way cleaner that way 
.
Machado seems so confident about becoming president but it feels like trump just messed her chances big time 
it's like he has all the power but machado is not backing down 
i don't know how much longer she can keep fighting though 
what if trump really does become friends with maduro and his ppl 
.
. But Trump's actions are just going to create more divisions and make it harder for them to actually achieve that freedom. It's like he's choosing to side with the status quo instead of taking a stand for what's right 
.
. I don't think that's how you win someone over, you know?
! Machado seems super disappointed 
and her chances of becoming the first female president 
seem to be fading fast 
. Trump's decision has been criticized as brutal 
, and it's like he's betraying the Chavismo movement's ideals 
. I feel bad for Machado 
instead of undermining opposition forces 
!
. She was all about becoming Venezuela's first female president, but it looks like those plans are pretty much shot 
. Trump's got some serious beef with Machado, and it's affecting everything she tries to do 
and btw how does machado expect to be taken seriously with that nobel peace prize medal she gave away to trump like 5 mins ago? 
. I'm also curious to see how this all plays out, especially considering Machado's own history and what led her to accept Trump's Nobel peace prize medal 
to give away...
trump's move has ruined the opposition movement for good imo... machado should've kept a low profile after that fox news interview, thought she had this in the bag 
.
. If Machado had been given space to pursue her vision and work with Trump, maybe the outcome would've been different. But now, it seems like she's stuck in a corner 
.
. And experts are saying she's been marginalized by Trump's CIA agents... yeah no kidding, that's basically what happened to Maduro 
. It's not looking good for Machado's presidential hopes, but you know what would be even worse? If Trump actually followed through on his promise of supporting democracy in Venezuela