Updates: Machado meets Trump, says Venezuela ‘counting’ on him for freedom
These are updates for Thursday, January 15, 2026, as Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado visits the US.

Venezuela’s leadership in limbo after US abduction of Maduro
Published On 15 Jan 2026
- Donald Trump has hosted Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado behind closed doors at the White House, marking their first in-person meeting since the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
- Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize and described the meeting warmly, saying, “We are counting on President Trump for the freedom of Venezuela.”

