‘We can count on President Trump,’ says Maria Corina Machado outside the White House; meets senators on Capitol Hill

After completing her meeting with President Donald Trump, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado left the White House and briefly greeted a group of supporters gathered near the gate, exchanging hugs as they cheered her arrival. “We can count on President Trump,” Machado told the crowd in Spanish, prompting loud cheers. She did not respond to questions in English about how the meeting went or whether she had given Trump her Nobel Peace Prize, leaving it unclear whether she did not hear the questions or chose not to answer. Machado was seen wearing a white suit as she walked toward a private entrance of the White House.

Machado then walked to a waiting SUV, pausing again to hug supporters who called out her name, waved Venezuelan flags, and chanted the country’s name. She responded by saying, “Gracias.” Machado then later headed to the US Capitol, where she met with a bipartisan group of senators in Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin’s office. She was greeted by supporters as she entered the Capitol before moving upstairs for the meeting. The senators in attendance included Republicans Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Bernie Moreno, and John Curtis, along with Democrats Dick Durbin, Jeanne Shaheen, Peter Welch, Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego, Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy, and Jacky Rosen. Independent Sen. Angus King, who caucuses with Democrats, is also participating.

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Five Americans released in Venezuela this week: WH

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday (January 15) that five Americans were released from detention in Venezuela this week. Leavitt said the release of political prisoners was among several favourable actions taken by the interim government in Venezuela. She also praised Delcy Rodriguez’s cooperation on the sales of oil. “The president likes what he’s seeing and will expect that cooperation to continue,” she was quoted as saying. “We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” a State Department spokesperson said Tuesday. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.”