WASHINGTON ― One is a smart, savvy political operator. She sometimes rubs people the wrong way but skillfully navigates her way through Venezuela’s power hierarchy. She’s now installed as the country’s interim leader after the U.S. forcibly removed President Nicolás Maduro.
The other is a former member of the country’s National Assembly and an activist who led the opposition to Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for what the committee that bestows the honor described as her “tireless fight for peace.” She was expected by many in Venezuela to take reigns of the country following Maduro’s downfall.
Delcy Rodríguez and María Corina Machado are the most prominent political figures in Venezuela. Political rivals, Rodríguez and Machado are key players inside the Latin American nation's nascent power vacuum. Both deeply understand that their future, and that of their country, is tied to winning the favor of one man: Donald J. Trump.
Machado, who has been living in hiding outside of Venezuela, is expected to bring her charm offensive to Washington later this week. She is scheduled to meet with Trump at the White House on Thursday, Jan. 15. It will be the first time they’ve spoken since last Oct. 10, the same day she was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump had wanted and lobbied to get.
