Please Prize: On Machado “Sharing” Nobel Prize With Trump
When María Corina Machado walked out of her meeting with Donald Trump and told supporters that “they can count on him,” it sounded less like a declaration and more like a plea. In a country bruised by years of repression, broken elections and economic collapse, hope has become a fragile thing — and fragile things are often placed in the hands of the powerful far too easily.
Machado carries the weight of Venezuela’s opposition on her shoulders. She has survived political bans, threats and months of hiding. Her return to public life, holding a Nobel Peace Prize medal and offering it to Mr. Trump, was meant to signal international recognition. But it also exposed a painful truth: Venezuela’s democratic struggle now depends on men who have rarely shown loyalty to anything beyond their own interests.
Mr. Trump’s record with Venezuela is built more on spectacle than consistency. He once called Nicolás Maduro a “criminal kingpin” and promised to crush the regime. Later, his administration quietly explored negotiations that softened those very threats. Sanctions were imposed with thunderous speeches, only to be loosened when oil prices rose. For Venezuelans, this is not leadership — it is opportunism. Mr. Trump does not engage with Venezuela out of concern for its people. He engages when it suits American strategy, energy markets and domestic politics. His support comes with conditions, and his attention shifts quickly.
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Machado’s faith in him reflects desperation more than conviction. When your institutions collapse and your streets fill with hunger, even unreliable allies start to look like saviours.
But Venezuela does not need another strongman posing as a liberator. It needs steady pressure, honest diplomacy and a commitment that does not change with election cycles in Washington.
Hope should never have to bargain with ego.
And democracy should not depend on the mood of one man.
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