Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has given her first formal news conference since fleeing her homeland in December, and she used the occasion to pledge her unwavering support to the United States.
She also outlined a vision for the future of Venezuela, a South American country closely aligned with US interests, following the abduction of former President Nicolás Maduro.
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“The result of a stable transition is a proud Venezuela that will become America’s best ally ever,” Machado said at Friday’s event.
The news conference came a day after Machado traveled to the White House for a brief, closed-door dinner with US President Donald Trump. It took place on stage at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank known for publishing a policy blueprint for Trump’s second term, known as Project 2025.
Trump, like Machado, has long had a strained relationship with Maduro, the former bus driver who took over as Venezuela’s president in 2013 as the hand-picked successor to the late Hugo Chavez.
Machado ‘absolutely grateful’
Maduro was a champion of Chávez’s socialist political movement, Chavismo, and faced widespread criticism for his campaign of human rights abuses, including the torture and imprisonment of political dissidents.
Since returning to office, Trump has stepped up US pressure on Maduro’s government, including a massive military build-up in the Caribbean and bombings of drug-trafficking boats leaving Venezuela.
But on January 3, Trump’s campaign reached its peak, as he launched a full-scale military assault on Caracas that led to Maduro’s kidnapping and transport to New York City to face trial.
Trump has described the military strike as a law enforcement operation, but critics have condemned it as a violation of international law, including the United Nations Charter.
Machado was among those lobbying for such an intervention, and she used Friday’s appearance to express her gratitude for Trump’s actions.
“As Venezuela, we are grateful to President Trump, his team, his administration and the people of the United States because it took a lot of courage to do what he did,” she said.
“And he did it, yes, on behalf of the American people, but also because he cares about the Venezuelan people, and he told me that yesterday.”
Trump has previously said that the US will “run” Venezuela and that a “second wave” of military action is possible if the current government there does not comply with his demands.
A ‘Complex Phase’ in Venezuela’s History
So far, the Trump administration has avoided talks on restoring Venezuela’s democracy and has refused to allow time for new elections.
Instead, it has endorsed the interim government of Maduro’s former vice president, Delsy Rodríguez, citing the need for stability in Venezuela.
Trump’s endorsement of Rodriguez has raised eyebrows, as Maduro’s previous two elections were hotly contested. The most recent, in 2024, the government specifically withheld the vote count announced on election night — and Maduro claimed victory, pursuing a third term.
The opposition coalition led by Machado then released documents showing their candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, had won by a landslide.
At the Heritage Foundation forum, Machado reiterated her belief that she has a mandate from the Venezuelan people to lead the government.
“We face challenging times ahead. We are ready to do whatever it takes as a legitimate government,” she said.
“Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and I have been in constant communication all these days and we feel the mandate from the Venezuelan people. That is why I am here and this is what I have communicated to the President of the United States.”
But she softened her rhetoric as Trump appeared to embrace the support of the interim Rodriguez government.
She also called the democratic transition “a very complex, delicate process” and said the current government would handle the “dirty work” of “dismantling itself”.
“Delcy Rodriguez, yes, she is a communist. She is the main ally and representation of the Russian regime, the Chinese and the Iranians,” she said, citing some of Venezuela’s allies under Maduro.
“But they’re not the Venezuelan people and they’re not the armed forces. So I’m confident we’ll have an orderly transition. It’s a complex phase we’re in right now. They’re doing some dirty work.”
Addressing migration and human rights
Machado, known for her staunch opposition to the Maduro government, said Venezuela would be a country “built on quality” after he is ousted, one of Trump’s frequent talking points.
She also described a more affordable Venezuela where residents don’t have to live on “handouts.”
“The result of this process will be a society based on these values, a society that is strongly pro-American,” Machado told reporters at the Heritage Foundation.
She also addressed recent steps taken by the Rodriguez government to address concerns about Venezuelan human rights and appease Trump.
A reporter on Friday asked Machado about Venezuela’s decision to resume deportation flights from the United States, where Trump has made mass deportations of migrants a central pillar of his second term.
A plane carrying an estimated 199 Venezuelan refugees had arrived at La Guerra airport earlier in the day, marking the first such flight since Maduro’s ouster. In moments of tension, Maduro has been known to deny such refugee flights.
“We all know how this regime has moved against many countries, not just the United States,” Machado told reporters.
The United Nations estimates that about 7.9 million refugees have fled Venezuela in recent years due to repression and economic instability.
Machado argued that restoring Venezuela’s democracy would help pave the way for many Venezuelan migrants to return home, helping to alleviate Trump’s concerns about immigration.
“I think it’s clearly in the best interest of the United States, and those who are concerned about immigration, to transition as quickly as possible. Because you’re going to see millions of people returning home,” Machado said.
“It’s not a matter of solving all economic problems. People are willing to go back to be part of the solution,” she added.
The opposition leader also rejected announcements that the Rodriguez government had released about 400 political prisoners, but human rights groups estimate the number to be much lower.
“Just because you’re not in prison doesn’t mean you’re free. In Venezuela, they’re out of prison, but they can’t talk to journalists. They can’t leave the country and they’re still scared,” Machado said.
“All torture centers have to be closed. And journalists must be guaranteed to speak and those who have left the country to return.”
She added that if the Rodriguez government respects the Venezuelan constitution, there will be no more political prisoners and González Urrutia will be president.
“We would not have had an elected president in Madrid. He would have taken power on January 9, 2024 – sorry, 2025,” she said. “We understand that there is no rule of law in Venezuela.”
‘Venezuela is going to be free’
Machado has faced criticism in the past for embracing far-right figures such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and it remains unclear what role she will play in Venezuela’s future governance.
On January 3, the day of the US military operation, Trump appeared to dismiss her chances, telling reporters, “I think it’s going to be very difficult for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support or the respect in the country.”
But Machado remains popular among Venezuela’s opposition, at home and abroad, and her visit to Washington, DC, was thronged by supporters seeking hugs and selfies.
In Thursday’s visit, she tried to ingratiate herself with Trump by presenting her with the Nobel Peace Prize, which she accepted in December after secretly fleeing to Venezuela for fear of arrest.
She emphasized on Friday that only with Trump’s support can a better Venezuela be created.
“The one thing I want to assure the people of Venezuela is that Venezuela is going to be free, and it’s going to be achieved with the support of the people of the United States and the President of the United States, Donald Trump,” she said.