Overview
- Trump’s spokeswoman said he maintains that María Corina Machado lacks sufficient support and respect to lead Venezuela, even after their Oval Office lunch.
- Machado said she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump as a symbolic gesture, though Oslo’s Nobel Institute has reiterated that the prize cannot be transferred and it was not confirmed whether he accepted it.
- Trump earlier held a first direct call with interim president Delcy Rodríguez, which both sides described as long and productive, discussing oil, minerals, trade and security.
- Rodríguez touted a “new political era” and, in her first national address, urged reforms to attract foreign investment in Venezuela’s oil sector while sharply condemning the U.S. raid that captured Nicolás Maduro.
- The U.S. Senate blocked a measure to restrict Trump’s authority to conduct operations in Venezuela, and U.S. forces seized a sixth tanker over alleged sanctions violations as disputed tallies of freed political prisoners persisted.