Corina Machado announces her return to Venezuela after the fall of the Nicolas Maduro regime. The message for Donald Trump

Corina Machado, considered one of the strongest opponents of Maduro, especially after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, announced her intention to return to the country after the arrest of the Venezuelan president and appreciated the US intervention.

Corina Machado announces that she is returning to Venezuela. PHOTO: AFP

Venezuelan opposition leader Corina Machado said she plans to return to Venezuela after President Nicolás Maduro was captured in the US-led operation.

In an interview on Monday, January 5, on Fox News, Corina Machado thanked the American president and qualified Donald Trump's actions as an important step for the freedom and dignity of Venezuelans.

In this context, she recalled that, in October 2025, she dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump.

We remind you that, in order to receive the award in Oslo, the opposition leader had to leave Venezuela secretly and did not participate in the official ceremony. In the Fox News interview, she noted that she has not spoken to Trump since then, but welcomes his contribution to Maduro's ouster.

Corina Machado, considered one of Maduro's strongest opponents, left the country last month and has not returned since, but announced on Monday that she plans to return to Venezuela as soon as possible.

Without revealing his exact whereabouts, the opposition leader harshly criticized Delcy Rodriguez, the former Venezuelan vice president, who was sworn in as Venezuela's interim president on Monday.

Corina Machado claimed that Delcy Rodriguez was “one of the chief architects of torture” from within the Caracas government and emphasized that it is rejected by the Venezuelan population.

Although Delcy Rodriguez has expressed his willingness to collaborate with Washington, the opposition believes that the former official does not enjoy legitimacy among citizens.

Corina Machado also presented the opposition's plans for the future of Venezuela: turning the country into a regional energy hub, restoring the rule of law to protect foreign investment and facilitating the return of Venezuelans who left the country during the Maduro administration.

She claimed the opposition would get “more than 90 percent of the vote” in free and fair elections, stressing the desire to rebuild the country on solid foundations.

His statements come in the context in which Donald Trump refused to offer him public support, declaring that the opposition leader does not have enough support in Venezuela to lead the country, also excluding the organization of elections in the next 30 days and stating in an interview that the US must “first put the country on its feet”.

Although Donald Trump has made it clear that he does not want to interfere in the internal politics of other states, as happened in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s, he has made clear his interest in Venezuela's vast oil resources, considered the largest proven reserves of crude oil in the world.