President Trump is scheduled to meet with top oil executives from Chevron, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and other oil firms at the White House today to discuss the future of Venezuela. Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. plans to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump has claimed Big Oil firms plan to invest $100 billion in Venezuela.
Trump is also expected to meet next week with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. On Saturday, Trump dismissed the idea of installing Machado as Venezuela’s leader. The Washington Post reports Trump’s refusal to support her stemmed from her decision to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which Trump had lobbied for. One source told The Washington Post, “If she had turned it down and said, 'I can't accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today.” After the Post article ran, Machado announced she wanted to share her Nobel Prize with Trump. On Thursday, Trump appeared on Fox News and was asked about this by Sean Hannity.

Sean Hannity: “Do you have any plans to meet with her? And would you accept the Nobel Prize she wants to hand to you?”

President Donald Trump: “Well, I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her. And I’ve heard that she wants to do that. That would be a great honor.”