Trump withholds endorsement for Machado, backs Rodríguez in Venezuela's leadership question

Trump has not endorsed opposition leader María Corina Machado to lead Venezuela, instead backing acting leader Delcy Rodríguez as the country seeks stabilization after the U.S. operation against Nicolás Maduro. Despite Machado's broad popular support and her Nobel Prize, U.S. officials prefer Rodríguez to avoid upsetting regime insiders and the military, while discussions focus on a cautious path to elections and a transition, including an oil-focused stabilization strategy.