Senate passes resolution blocking President Trump’s actions in Venezuela
This bipartisan measure would prevent further U.S. military intervention in Venezuela without Congressional approval.
President Donald Trump said in a sit-down interview on Fox News’ “Hannity” on January 8 that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Colina Machado will visit the United States “sometime next week.”
Show host Sean Hannity asked President Trump whether he would meet with Machado and accept the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize if Machado offered it to him.
“I hear she’s going to be somewhere next week and I’m looking forward to saying hello. I hear she would like to do that. It would be a great honor,” Trump said.
It will be the first meeting between President Trump and Machado, who said earlier this week that he had not spoken to a U.S. leader since winning the Nobel Peace Prize in October. USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for information about the meeting.
The conservative news network touted the interview as “the first sit-down interview since Nicolás Maduro’s arrest” in a promotional release sent to USA TODAY.
The interview aired on the same day the Senate advanced a bipartisan measure to halt further U.S. military action in Venezuela without Congressional approval.
President Trump said he would meet with oil company executives at the White House on January 9th. According to the president, these oil companies will play an important role in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry.
“They’re going to rebuild the entire oil infrastructure. They’re going to spend at least $100 billion. What they have is incredible oil, incredible quality and quantity of oil,” he said.
The South American country’s future governance remains in doubt. President Trump had previously dismissed the idea of working with Machado, saying “she has no support or respect in this country.”
President Trump said in an interview that it will take time for Venezuela, currently led by acting interim President Delcy Rodriguez, to reach a state where it can hold elections.
“We have to rebuild our country. We couldn’t hold elections,” he said. “They won’t even know how to vote now.”
Contributed by: Reuters
