US officials are urging Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to be patient as she looks to go to Venezuela after devastating earthquakes.
Machado’s efforts to return have prompted angst within the Trump administration in recent days, but one person familiar with the situation said Trump “isn’t against her returning,” but “just doesn’t want to blow up the whole thing overnight.”
Last week, US officials asked Machado to turn around as she headed to Venezuela on a trip that was initially approved by US authorities, The Wall Street Journal reported. She tried again days later and was reportedly rebuffed by an airline concerned about facing repercussions from the Venezuelan government should it help her return.
Machado’s presence could have thrown a wrench in the Trump administration’s still-new arrangement with the Venezuelan government.