• Trump will meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday at the White House.
• The meeting comes after the U.S. military operation that captured former President Nicolás Maduro.
• Despite her Nobel Peace Prize, Trump has not endorsed Machado's leadership role for Venezuela.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting, noting that Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been sidelined in recent political discussions following the U.S. military's operation that captured former President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month. Trump has expressed skepticism about Machado's support within Venezuela, saying, "She doesn't have the support within, or the respect within, the country," according to Al Jazeera and CBS News.

Machado has praised Trump for the actions taken against Maduro and expressed her intention to give him her Nobel Prize, a gesture that Trump has welcomed as “a great honour.” However, the Nobel Institute clarified that the prize cannot be transferred, reports SCMP and BBC. Furthermore, Machado's association with Trump raises questions, as Trump had previously criticized her for lacking respect domestically despite her initial alignment with U.S. interests.

Currently, the U.S. has aligned itself more with Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice president, who now holds the interim presidency. Leavitt stated that the Trump administration has made a realistic assessment of Venezuela's situation, emphasizing their cooperation with Rodríguez rather than the opposition led by Machado. Trump remarked on Rodríguez's support, saying, "Delcy Rodríguez and her team have been very cooperative with the United States," according to CBS News and Al Jazeera.