Donald Trump's decision to capture Venezuela's leader, Nicolas Maduro, has come under major scrutiny, but now theories are brewing that the POTUS may have had an ulterior motive.
Last weekend (3 January), the US launched strikes on Venezuela in which Maduro, who has been widely condemned as an illegitimate leader, and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, were captured by US forces and removed from the country.
According to several legal experts, the campaign likely breached both US and international law, as Article 2 of the United Nations Charter says all members should refrain from 'the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state'.
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Maduro, who was seized from his home in a middle-of-the-night military operation, appeared at a court in New York on Monday (5 January), when he pleaded not guilty to 'narco-terrorism' charges and claimed he was a prisoner of war.
His deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, has been sworn in as interim leader.
Trump has now announced that he plans to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, just days after launching the attack.
In the aftermath of the military operation, the future governance of the South American country has remained an open question, with Trump previously dismissing the idea of working with Machado, saying 'she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country'.
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But, in a Fox News interview on Thursday (8 January), the 79-year-old president said Machado was 'coming in next week sometime,' adding that 'I look forward to saying hello to her'.
When asked whether he would accept Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize if she gave it to him, Trump, who has frequently discussed his desires to be awarded the major accolade, said: "I’ve heard that she wants to do that. That’d be a great honour."
Machado, who has often been hailed as the leader with the greatest popular legitimacy to lead Venezuela, dedicated the award to Trump after her win back in October.
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Such a remark has sparked a heated debate on social media, with one theory going viral: "Trump says he wants the Nobel Prize belonging to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado and expects her to give it to him when she comes to DC next week.
"He can’t be insane enough to take out Maduro just because he wanted her award, can he?"
A second theorised: "Sounds like the prize motivated the whole thing."
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"If you have to beg for the Nobel Peace Prize, it’s safe to say you don’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize," slammed a third as another commented: "Taking someone else's Nobel Peace Prize is not the same as earning your own lol."
And a final X user urged: "It's time for the Nobel Peace Prize committee to step up and end this absurdity. The award is losing credibility by the minute. It isn't something to be sold, transferred, or bartered. If Machado even considers this, she should be stripped of the medal. Enough is enough."
This will be Trump’s first meeting with Machado, who stated earlier this week that she hadn’t spoken to the US president since she won the prize back in October.
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He's also not publicly made the same offer to Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, World News, Social Media
Rhiannon Ingle