Trump declines to back Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado

President Trump decided not to back Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado after the U.S. raid that ended with Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody, instead settling on Maduro’s vice president to take the helm. Officials and people close to the decision said Mr. Trump reached that conclusion based on several factors, including U.S.

intelligence suggesting the opposition would struggle to lead and a souring relationship between Ms. Machado and top Trump officials, according to five people with knowledge of his decision-making. Mr. Trump said after the mission, “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader…She doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within, the country.” Senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argued that backing the opposition could further destabilize the country, a view reflected in a classified C.I.A.

analysis, and Mr. Trump has said his focus in Venezuela is oil, not promoting democracy. The White House’s outreach to Ms. Machado had frayed for months. Envoy Richard Grenell met with her representatives and sought a Caracas meeting and a list of political prisoners, but an in-person meeting never occurred and a phone call replaced it.

U.S. officials grew frustrated with what they described as Ms. Machado’s inaccurate assessments of Mr. Maduro’s strength and with her lack of a concrete plan to install her surrogate, Edmundo González, after she was barred from running. Ms.

Key Topics

Politics, Maria Corina Machado, Donald Trump, Nicolas Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez, Edmundo Gonzalez