October 29, 2025

On January 6, 2025, four members of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado's team plopped down on a couch in a Capitol Hill office opposite Mike Waltz. Waltz was soon to become Donald Trump's national security adviser. Machado joined the meeting via video call from a secret spot in Venezuela. David Smolansky, who runs Machado’s Washington office, explained how a powerful Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, was controlled by President Nicolas Maduro. Two people present confirmed Waltz took notes the entire time. This hidden meeting was part of a big gamble by Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, to team up with hawkish Trump aides. They believe Maduro and his gang ties are a serious U.S. national security threat — though US intelligence reports don’t fully back that up. Reuters spoke with over 50 sources including U.S. officials, Venezuelan opposition members, and informants. They revealed how Machado’s team worked hard to help the Trump administration push for tougher action against Maduro. Opposition leaders met many times with Trump’s team before and after his inauguration to demand more pressure on Maduro. Allies provided research backing this tough stance, and details about gangs flowed to US security agencies. The opposition promoted the idea that Maduro controls Tren de Aragua, advocating this theory both in public and behind closed doors. Reuters could not confirm if the campaign shifted Trump’s policies, but after the meeting Washington labeled Tren de Aragua a terrorist group threatening the US and linked to Maduro. They put a $50 million bounty on Maduro's arrest. Since September, the US military bombed at least eight drug boats near Venezuela as part of a Caribbean naval build-up. The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says only a small part of US-bound cocaine passes through Venezuela. Trump claimed the first strike killed 11 Tren de Aragua members but gave no proof. Recently, Trump said he had OK’d secret CIA ops in Venezuela and didn’t rule out more strikes. Machado strongly backs Trump’s military approach, urging Maduro to step down to avoid more violence. She declined to comment for this article. Waltz, now US ambassador to the UN, did not answer questions about the January 6 meeting. Venezuela’s Information Ministry also ignored requests for comment. Maduro, president since 2013, presides over economic collapse and faces accusations of killings, corruption, and repression. Though lost internationally, Maduro refuses to quit even after Machado’s opposition won 70% of last year’s vote. Sanctions and talks failed to remove him. “You cannot have freedom without strength when you are facing a criminal structure,” Machado told NPR after winning her Nobel Prize on October 10. She dedicated it to the Venezuelan people and to Trump “for his decisive support of our cause.” Maduro denied gang ties and human rights abuses, saying Venezuela is a democracy. Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang and now spreads across South America, seen as a threat by many Latin American countries. But a US appeals court rejected claims that the gang was invading the US, in a case against tough deportation policies. A US intelligence report admitted some Venezuelan officials may work with the gang for money but said Maduro did not run its US operations. Machado’s team faced a tough choice. Trump pressured Maduro hard — just as the opposition wanted — but at the same time Trump painted Venezuelan immigrants in America as violent gang members. Machado stayed mostly quiet when Trump cut immigration protections and deported thousands, including alleged gang members, some sent to prisons in El Salvador where torture was reported. Boat strikes killing Venezuelan citizens without trial are a US “national security decision,” she said. At least 38 people died, many linked to the gang, but the UN called the killings extrajudicial. Despite risks of anger at home, the opposition sees backing Trump as their best shot at democracy. One source said, “the bigger picture” is to remove Maduro. If the plan works, Machado “will be the patron saint of Venezuela.” But failure could see her lose trust or be blamed for chaos and destruction. Before Trump’s inauguration, Machado’s group connected with Republicans like Marco Rubio, now Trump’s national security adviser. Rubio supports military action against Venezuela, shaping US policy in the Americas. A source said Machado’s team had little sway over Rubio but meetings helped strengthen the US view of Maduro’s gang links. Rubio, a longtime opposition supporter, joined Waltz in nominating Machado for the Nobel Prize in 2024. Machado has been outspoken about military pressure on Maduro, publicly and privately. Ivan Simonovis, a former Venezuelan police chief on Machado’s team, claimed on media that Maduro used Tren de Aragua to destabilize the US, though he gave no proof. This fed into Trump’s use of a 1798 law to deport gang suspects without trial. Simonovis gave information to US agencies but pointed them to verify it themselves. Exiled ex-Colonel Gustavo Arocha also contributed gang reports, including to a Heritage Foundation paper calling Tren de Aragua a Maduro proxy. Joseph Humire, the paper’s author, now works at the US Defense Department. Between January and April, Machado’s team met at least eight times with Waltz, Rubio, and other officials about naming gangs like Cartel de los Soles as terrorist groups. The US accuses Maduro of leading that cartel, linking it with Tren de Aragua to use drugs as a weapon, though evidence was not shown. Inside Trump’s circle, opinions differ. Envoy Richard Grenell pushed oil deals over war, but Trump stopped diplomacy recently. Venezuela still earns from Chevron oil under licenses made during Trump’s term. Machado promises to privatize Venezuela's oil industry, inviting US and global investors. Former US ambassador Jimmy Story said the opposition has run out of options except Trump's help to remove Maduro: “They've protested and been killed. We've asked them to negotiate, they negotiate, we asked them to do elections, they do elections, they win and he still won't leave—what remains but supporting this?” It's a risky game of political chess with Venezuela's future hanging in the balance.

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Tags: Venezuela, Maria corina machado, Tren de aragua, Donald trump, Nicolas maduro, Us-venezuela relations,