MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump signals possible role for Machado as U.S. tightens Venezuela oil crackdown

“Maybe we can involve her somehow. I would love to be able to do that,” Trump told reporters

United States President Donald Trump said Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado could “maybe” be brought into the transition process “in some way,” marking a notable shift in tone as Washington balances political messaging with day-to-day coordination in Caracas following Nicolás Maduro’s capture on January 3, according to a Reuters report.

“We're talking to her,” Trump said. “Maybe we can get her involved in some way. I'd love to be able to do that,” the President told reporters at a White House press conference marking the first year of his term. The remarks came as Machado continues a high-profile round of meetings in Washington, including with Cuban-American Republican lawmakers and diplomatic interlocutors, as she presses for international backing focused on political prisoners and human-rights conditions as prerequisites for any credible transition.

The opening toward Machado sits alongside Trump’s parallel insistence that his administration is “working very well with Venezuela,” language widely read as a reference to operational coordination with the interim authorities in Caracas—particularly on energy and enforcement measures surrounding oil flows.

On Tuesday, U.S. military forces intercepted another tanker in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said it apprehended the Motor Vessel Sagitta “without incident” in support of the Department of Homeland Security, framing the move as part of Trump’s “quarantine” against sanctioned vessels operating in defiance of U.S. restrictions. The statement said the seizure underscored Washington’s determination to ensure “the only oil leaving Venezuela” is oil that is “properly and lawfully” coordinated.

Machado has used her Washington trip to argue that incremental releases do not amount to freedom in Venezuela and that any transition must begin by dismantling the state’s coercive apparatus. In comments carried by CNN, she stressed that “being released from prison is not the same as being free,” and urged pressure for broader releases and guarantees.

Taken together, the developments highlight an emerging dual-track approach: the White House is publicly entertaining a role for the country’s best-known opposition figure while maintaining working channels with the interim authorities to manage security and oil enforcement. The administration has not specified what “involving” Machado would mean—symbolic consultation, a formal political mandate, or a substantive executive function—but Trump’s statement alone reshapes expectations in Washington about who may be empowered to represent Venezuela in the next phase.