President Donald Trump said Saturday that he does not view Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado as a viable successor to Nicolás Maduro, following Maduro’s overnight removal from power.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” Trump said, while describing Machado as a “very nice woman.”
Why It Matters
Machado leads the Vente Venezuela party and won the country’s 2023 opposition presidential primary by a wide margin. However, Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice barred her from running for president.
In recognition of her efforts to advance democracy in Venezuela, Machado received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. Trump had publicly campaigned for the same prize throughout the year, though nominations closed in February, shortly after the start of his second administration.
Christopher Sabatini, a senior research fellow at the London-based think tank Chatham House, previously said Machado was Washington’s preferred option and widely supported by democracies abroad. He cautioned, however, that “the question is how complicated it will be to get there,” noting uncertainty over how far the Trump administration would go diplomatically—or militarily—to facilitate her rise.
What to Know
Trump addressed the situation during a Saturday press conference, outlining U.S. actions following an early-morning operation in Venezuela. He said the United States plans to oversee the country temporarily until what he described as “appropriate leadership” is in place, while also rebuilding Venezuela’s oil infrastructure and expanding trade.
“We have to be surrounded by safe, secure countries, and we also have to have energy—very important,” Trump said. “We have to have energy that’s real energy.”
Questions about who might qualify as acceptable leadership quickly focused on Machado, but Trump dismissed her candidacy, saying she lacks sufficient popular support.
He added that the U.S. had not communicated with Machado on Saturday, including during the operation in which American forces entered Venezuela, launched strikes on Caracas, captured Maduro, and removed him from the country. Maduro is now en route to the United States to face trial.
Trump said Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has been sworn in as Maduro’s replacement and that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has already spoken with her. According to Trump, Rodríguez signaled she is “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”
What People Are Saying
Maria Corina Machado wrote in a statement posted on X:
“This is the time of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28. Those of us who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who make it up.
Today we are ready to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active and organized until the Democratic Transition takes place. A transition that needs us all.”
Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the U.S. action, saying it “rejects the military actions carried out unilaterally in recent hours by the armed forces of the United States of America against targets in the territory of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,” calling the move a clear violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter.
Argentine President Javier Milei praised the events on X, writing, “FREEDOM MOVES FORWARD. LONG LIVE FREEDOM DAMMIT,” and adding in a separate post, “The time to have a timid approach on this subject has passed.”
