In an Oval Office interview with Axios on Friday, the U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he's had second thoughts about his decision to recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela and said he is open to meeting with Nicolás Maduro.

"I would maybe think about that ... Maduro would like to meet. And I'm never opposed to meetings – you know, rarely opposed to meetings," Trump said when asked whether he would meet the Venezuelan president. 

He also indicated that he "wasn't necessarily in favor" of Juan Guaido, because he failed to turn the wheels of the Venezuelan government despite support from the U.S. and dozens of other countries.

Trump may upend U.S. policy on Venezuela

On January 10, 2019, Maduro was sworn in as the president of Venezuela but less than two weeks later, opposition leader Guaido, a 35-year-old former engineer, declared himself the nation's "interim president."

One day before Guaido's ceremony, Vice President Mike Pence used a video address to directly urge Venezuelans to go to the streets to show support for the self-proclaimed president. 

"We stand with you, and we will stay with you until democracy is restored and you reclaim your birthright of Libertad," Pence said in the speech.

In March, the U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr made the announcement that the Justice Department (DOJ) was charging Maduro with narcoterrorism, in which the DOJ referred to him as the "Former President of Venezuela."

If Trump meets with Maduro, it would completely upend his administration's policy on Venezuela, opposing public endorsements for Guaido from top administration officials, including Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo.

Related readings:

Xi Jinping doubles down on support for Venezuela govt led by Maduro in phone call amid virus crisis

U.S. should keep its hands off Venezuela

Venezuela rejects U.S. offer to ease sanctions in exchange for transitional govt