US EditionHow Venezuela's Nobel Prize Winner built a high-stakes alliance with Trump
Machado's team lobbies U.S. officials linking Maduro to criminal gangs, seeking military pressure and terrorism designations amid contested intelligence and policy risks.
- On January 6, 2025, four members of María Corina Machado's team met Mike Waltz on Capitol Hill to align with Trump hawks and present claims linking Nicolás Maduro to the Tren de Aragua gang, a U.S. security threat, David Smolansky said.
- Allies and exiled consultants fed research and intelligence from Ivan Simonovis and Gustavo Arocha into U.S. security agencies, prompting Washington to designate Tren de Aragua a terrorist group and discuss Cartel de los Soles.
- U.S. military operations have targeted drug boats near Venezuela, bombing at least eight since September and killing at least 38, with Donald Trump claiming 11 killed were Tren de Aragua members.
- Within the administration, senior officials split over militarized approaches versus oil-centered outreach, with Richard Grenell favoring oil deals until outreach ended earlier this month; the $50 million reward for Maduro continued, though Machado's influence remains unclear.
- A declassified intelligence report offers a counterpoint as the National Intelligence Council found Maduro does not direct Tren de Aragua’s U.S. operations, while María Corina Machado faces a high-risk political gamble.
12 Articles
12 Articles
How Venezuela's Nobel Prize Winner built a high-stakes alliance with Trump
On January 6, 2025, four members of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team piled onto a couch in a Capitol Hill office, across from Mike Waltz, who was soon to become Donald Trump’s national security adviser. Machado made a cameo via video call from her hideout in Venezuela.
The Straits Times
The Star Kuala LumpurVenezuela’s Nobel Prize-winner bets big on Trump as pressure builds on Maduro
WASHINGTON - On January 6, 2025, four members of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team piled onto a couch in a Capitol Hill office, across from Mike Waltz, who was soon to become Donald Trump’s national security adviser. Machado made a cameo via video call from her hideout in Venezuela. Read more at straitstimes.com.
‘The Imperialist Offensive is Nothing New for the Bolivarian Revolution’: A Conversation with Ana Maldonado - Venezuelanalysis
In recent months, Washington has stepped up its military presence in the Caribbean, sending warships, aircraft, and even a nuclear submarine to waters near Venezuela amid extrajudicial attacks on fishing vessels. For many, this new phase of aggression is all too familiar — part of a decades-long campaign of hybrid warfare designed to undermine Venezuela’s sovereignty. In this context, Cira Pascual Marquina spoke with Ana Maldonado, a sociologist…
Venezuelan Coup Leader María Corina Machado Vows To Privatize Oil: US Corporations Will ‘Make a Lot of Money’
2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, a US government-funded far-right coup leader, vowed to privatize Venezuela’s oil. US companies will “make a lot of money”, she told Donald Trump Jr. in an interview.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
