By Jose Hidalgo, OP-ED
President Trump should invite Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, to the White House. Such a move would be more than symbolic—it would send a powerful message of recognition, legitimacy, and moral support to a woman who has dedicated her Nobel Prize to the cause of freedom and democracy, and who has publicly acknowledged Trump’s role in keeping international pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
Welcoming Machado would elevate her standing on the global stage and, more importantly, strengthen her credibility inside Venezuela. For years, she has emerged as the most authentic and courageous voice of the Venezuelan people—challenging authoritarianism peacefully, persistently, and at great personal risk. Recognition from the White House would amplify her message at a time when Venezuelans are exhausted by economic collapse, corruption, mass migration, and the erosion of basic dignity under Maduro’s rule.
There is no question that Venezuela is tired of Maduro. Hyperinflation, crumbling infrastructure, failing public services, and the flight of millions of citizens have hollowed out the country. The regime survives not because it is popular, but because it controls institutions and suppresses alternatives. International legitimacy matters—and denying it to dictators while extending it to democratic reformers increases internal pressure for change.
However, any path forward must be grounded in economic realism, not ideological confrontation. Venezuela’s future transition cannot be framed as a political purge or a revenge project. The so-called Chavistas remain an undeniable part of Venezuela’s political and social fabric. Ignoring this reality would only deepen divisions and delay recovery.
A successful transition must therefore focus on economic reconstruction: restoring oil production, rebuilding institutions, stabilizing the currency, attracting investment, and bringing Venezuelans home. Political reconciliation will follow economic hope—not the other way around.
Inviting María Corina Machado to the White House would not be an act of interference; it would be an act of recognition. It would tell the Venezuelan people that the world sees their struggle, respects their resilience, and supports a peaceful, economically driven transition toward democracy.
At a moment when democracy is under pressure globally, such leadership matters.