Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado discussed her country’s future with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, even though he has dismissed her credibility to take over after an audacious U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Less than two weeks after U.S. forces seized Maduro and his wife at a heavily guarded compound in Caracas and brought them to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges, Trump will host the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Machado, having already dismissed her credibility to run Venezuela and raised doubts about his stated commitment to backing democratic rule in the country.
The meeting comes as acting President Delcy Rodríguez delivers her first state of the union speech since the U.S. toppled her predecessor, Maduro, less than two weeks ago. Trump and his top advisers have signaled their willingness to work with Rodríguez, who was Maduro’s vice president.
Other news we’re following:
Trump threatens to use the Insurrection Act: The threat was meant to justify deploying troops as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement persist in Minneapolis. The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened fear and anger across the city after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good in the head.Venezuela war powers resolution fails in Senate: Senate Republicans voted to dismiss a war powers resolution Wednesday that would have limited Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks on Venezuela after two GOP senators reversed course on supporting the legislation.Louisiana governor picked as Trump’s envoy headed to Washington to discuss Greenland: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, appointed in December, has said he is not interested in meeting diplomats. Landry did not attend Wednesday’s meeting at the White House that included Danish officials, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, the governor was scheduled to travel to Washington on Thursday and Friday for meetings that include the topic of Greenland.