WASHINGTON: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrived at the White House for lunch with Donald Trump on Thursday, a meeting that could affect how the US president seeks to shape the South American country’s political future. Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring seaborne escape in December, finds herself competing for Trump’s ear with members of Venezuela’s government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward. The lunch marks the first time the two have met in person.

Machado, the winner of 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, had offered to share the honour with Trump, an award the president has long coveted.

Washington said on Monday that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump later this week, as...