When President Trump decided to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and yank him from power, there was a successor who seemed like a natural fit: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Machado has fiercely fought for democracy in Venezuela, has expressed support for the Trump administration and when she won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, she even dedicated the prize to Trump.
But the president skipped over her. Instead, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is part of Maduro's inner circle, has been named the interim president with the Trump administration's backing. This tells us two things:
1. Trump doesn't think Machado could successfully lead the government
The president stressed to reporters that Machado doesn't have the support or respect within the country. "She's a very nice woman, but she doesn't have the respect," Trump said over the weekend.
The New York Times reports that Machado's relationship with Trump officials had been "souring for months," and a recent CIA report assessed that top members of Venezuela's government would be best positioned to lead the country and maintain stability in Maduro's absence, a source familiar with the assessment confirmed to NewsNation.
2. What is the priority, oil or democracy?
If spreading democracy in Venezuela had been Trump's main goal, he may have been inclined to replace Maduro with a leader more vocally supportive of democracy.
However, he chose a close Maduro ally. And the president has said he plans to keep the seized oil from Venezuela.
For what it's worth, The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports that Republicans are worried that Trump may embrace nation-building in Venezuela, something which he has said in the past he wouldn't do.
Read: 'GOP fears Trump's foray into nation-building in Venezuela'
This is an awkward dynamic for some Capitol Hill Republicans: South Florida Republican Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart, Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar all support Machado.
In fact, Díaz-Balart snapped at a reporter who asked why he wasn't supporting Machado to serve as the interim leader, arguing that he does support her. He said he's confident Machado will be the next democratically elected president of Venezuela.
Machado's strategy — woo Trump: Machado appeared on a staple Fox News primetime show that Trump famously likes: Sean Hannity's show. She gushed over Trump, lavishing him with praise. She even told Hannity she would give her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.
Machado also told Hannity that she plans to return to Venezuela "as soon as possible." Keep in mind that she has been in hiding for more than 16 months (!).
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