WASHINGTON — Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado expressed profound confidence in her nation’s democratic future following the U.S. military’s removal of former President Nicolás Maduro, though she notably avoided providing specific timelines for elections or her own return to Venezuela.
Her carefully measured statements reveal the complex political reality emerging after President Trump’s endorsement of Maduro loyalist Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader. This development has effectively sidelined Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize recipient recognized for her democratic advocacy.
In a strategic diplomatic gesture, Machado presented her Nobel medal to President Trump during White House talks, simultaneously as CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted meetings with Acting President Rodríguez in Caracas. This coordinated activity signals the administration’s current preference for working with established government structures rather than opposition movements.
Addressing attendees at the Heritage Foundation, Machado articulated her vision for Venezuela’s transformation from a socialist government historically antagonistic toward the U.S. into a potential strategic ally. She dismissed suggestions of tension between Rodríguez’s interim government and her opposition movement, instead emphasizing her movement’s popular mandate and documenting the previous administration’s human rights violations.
Notably, Machado declined to elaborate on her discussions with Trump or specify policy recommendations for U.S. engagement, stating she felt no need to ‘urge the president on specific things.’ Her visit aimed to rebuild support for Venezuelan democracy that characterized Trump’s first term, though the Nobel Institute has clarified that the peace prize cannot be transferred or shared.
Despite Machado’s diplomatic efforts, the administration continues viewing Rodríguez as the most capable leader to stabilize the nation. Current initiatives include plans for U.S. energy companies to rehabilitate Venezuela’s deteriorated oil infrastructure and potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, which Trump had shuttered during his previous administration.
The political context remains complex: Machado, who mobilized millions during the 2024 election campaign, was ultimately barred from running. Though her substitute candidate was widely believed to have won, election authorities declared Maduro victorious. Following the disputed election, Machado entered hiding before resurfacing to accept her Nobel Prize in Norway—her first international travel in over a decade.