WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the nation’s future. Despite Machado’s efforts to position herself as a credible successor following a bold U.S. military operation that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has expressed skepticism about her leadership potential.

While Trump has publicly questioned his dedication to promoting democracy in Venezuela, he has also indicated a readiness to collaborate with acting President Delcy Rodríguez. Previously Maduro’s deputy, Rodríguez continues to manage daily government affairs and was scheduled to deliver her inaugural state of the union address on Thursday.

Trump’s support for Rodríguez has effectively marginalized Machado, who has been a prominent figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement. She has actively sought to build connections with Trump and influential figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aiming to secure backing from the U.S. administration and right-wing supporters.

At a press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned that Trump was eager for his lunch meeting with Machado, describing her as “a remarkable and brave voice” for Venezuelans. However, Leavitt noted that Trump’s perspective on Machado remains unchanged, characterizing it as “a realistic assessment.”

Trump has voiced doubts about Machado’s capability to lead, citing her perceived lack of domestic support and respect. Her political party is believed to have emerged victorious in the 2024 elections, results that Maduro refused to acknowledge.

Leavitt went on to say that Trump supported new Venezuelan elections “when the time is right” but did not say when he thought that might be.

Trump administration plays down meeting expectations

Leavitt said Machado sought the face-to-face meeting without setting expectations for what would occur. Machado previously offered to share with Trump the Nobel Peace Prize she won last year, an honor he has coveted.

“I don’t think he needs to hear anything from Ms. Machado,” the press secretary said, other than to have a “frank and positive discussion about what’s taking place in Venezuela.”

Machado spent about two and a half hours at the White House but left without answering questions on whether she’d offered to give her Nobel prize to Trump, saying only “gracias.”

After her White House stop, Machado plans to have a meeting at the Senate. Her Washington visit began after U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says had ties to Venezuela.

It is part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.

Leavitt said Venezuela’s interim authorities have been fully cooperating with the Trump administration and that Rodríguez’s government said it planned to release more prisoners detained under Maduro. Among those released were five Americans this week.

Rodríguez has adopted a less strident position toward Trump then she did immediately after Maduro’s ouster, suggesting that she can make the Republican administration’s “America First” policies toward the Western Hemisphere, work for Venezuela – at least for now.

Trump said Wednesday that he had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was ousted.

“We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said during an Oval Office bill signing. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”

Machado doesn’t get the nod from Trump

Even before indicating the willingness to work with Venezuela’s interim government, Trump was quick to snub Machado. Just hours after Maduro’s capture, Trump said of Machado that “it would be very tough for her to be the leader.”

Machado has steered a careful course to avoid offending Trump, notably after winning the peace prize. She has since thanked Trump, though her offer to share the honor with him was rejected by the Nobel Institute.

Machado’s whereabouts have been largely unknown since she went into hiding early last year after being briefly detained in Caracas. She briefly reappeared in Oslo, Norway, in December after her daughter received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

The industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate began challenging the ruling party in 2004, when the nongovernmental organization she co-founded, Súmate, promoted a referendum to recall then-President Hugo Chávez. The initiative failed, and Machado and other Súmate executives were charged with conspiracy.

A year later, she drew the anger of Chávez and his allies again for traveling to Washington to meet President George W. Bush. A photo showing her shaking hands with Bush in the Oval Office lives in the collective memory. Chávez considered Bush an adversary.

Almost two decades later, she marshaled millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez’s successor, Maduro, for another term in the 2024 election. But ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared him the winner despite ample credible evidence to the contrary. Ensuing anti-government protests ended in a brutal crackdown by state security forces.

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Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela, and Janetsky from Mexico City. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.