Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado has declared her unwavering conviction that she will eventually assume the presidency of her nation, despite the United States government’s recent pivot toward supporting an alternative political figure. The prominent activist made these assertions during a televised appearance on Fox & Friends, following high-level diplomatic engagements in Washington.
The political landscape shifted dramatically on January 3rd when American military forces orchestrated the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power. In the subsequent power vacuum, the Trump administration has thrown its support behind Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, as interim leader of the oil-rich South American nation.
Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her prolonged campaign against Maduro’s authoritarian regime, presented her medal to President Trump during a White House luncheon. This symbolic gesture aimed to strengthen her diplomatic position, though the Norwegian Nobel Committee maintains that such awards are non-transferable by regulation.
Despite presenting documented evidence of electoral fraud in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election—a position supported by numerous international observers—Machado finds herself navigating complex geopolitical realities. The Trump administration has expressed reservations about her level of popular support among Venezuelan citizens, instead favoring Rodríguez contingent upon cooperative access to Venezuela’s substantial petroleum reserves.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez has struck a notably independent tone, asserting her government’s willingness to engage in diplomatic confrontation with Washington despite acknowledging American power. She delivered this message while presenting what would traditionally have been Maduro’s state of the nation address, as the former leader currently faces narcotics trafficking charges in a New York detention facility.
The CIA’s reported meeting with Rodríguez signals Washington’s current preference for her leadership, creating a complex political dynamic that Machado must navigate as she maintains her presidential aspirations.