Trump distances himself from María Corina Machado as a post‑Maduro option

Time reports President Trump distanced himself from Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado when asked if she could run the country after he launched a massive military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and fly him to New York to face drug trafficking charges; he said it would be "very tough" and that "She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect within the country." In a nearly hour‑long statement, Trump said his aims were to end the Venezuelan government’s cooperation with drug cartels and to allow U.S.

companies to take control of Venezuela’s oil reserves — and he did not invoke democracy. Maduro denied the 2024 election results and refused to leave office, leaving the duly elected president, Edmundo González Urrutia, in exile in Spain. Machado, who was banned from running in 2024 and lived in hiding until last month, traveled to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize and dedicated it to Trump while voicing support for strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats; she was elected to the national assembly in 2010 and has led efforts to unite the opposition and outline plans to restore basic liberties and the private economy.

Key Topics

Politics, Donald Trump, María Corina Machado, Nicolás Maduro, Edmundo González Urrutia, Delcy Rodríguez