Republican lawmakers in Florida celebrated the announcement of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, which will take place next week in Washington amid a new political landscape following Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
Senator Rick Scott described Machado as a “brave fighter for freedom” and underscored that she has the respect of the Venezuelan people.
«María Corina is a brave fighter for freedom who is highly respected by the people of Venezuela. With the President of the United States, Venezuela and the world are a safer place», Scott wrote on his X account.
The senator also shared an article in which Trump confirmed that María Corina Machado will be in Washington, D.C., and expressed his interest in meeting her in person.
Trump recognizes María Corina Machado and talks about the Nobel Peace Prize
During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Trump referred to the Venezuelan opposition leader as “a good person” and said it “would be a great honor” to accept a Nobel Peace Prize, after Machado offered it to him following the military operation that led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture.
The president’s statements marked a shift from his previous comments, when, following Maduro’s arrest, Trump had questioned Machado’s ability to lead the political transition in Venezuela and temporarily recognized the government of Delcy Rodríguez, the current acting president.
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María Elvira Salazar celebrates the visit of the “Iron Lady of Venezuela”
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, a Republican representative from Miami, expressed her enthusiasm for Machado’s visit to the U.S. capital and described her as “Venezuela’s Iron Lady.”
«María Corina is a woman of deep conviction and extraordinary courage. She represents hope in the face of tyranny and the determination to see a free Venezuela», Salazar said on social media.
The legislator, of Cuban origin, has been one of the leading advocates in the U.S. Congress for María Corina Machado to lead the democratic transition in Venezuela.
To date, no official details of the meeting between Donald Trump and María Corina Machado have been disclosed, nor has the exact date of the opposition leader’s arrival in the United States. However, the announcement has generated high political expectations both in Washington and among the Venezuelan exile community.
