María Corina Machado warns Americans of the dangers of socialism
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela and joined Rachel Campos-Duffy in Panama to warn Americans about the dangers of socialism ahead of the midterm elections. Machado also delivered a direct message to President Donald Trump, praising his leadership and saying that capturing Nicolás Maduro would define his legacy. She further criticized Delcy Rodríguez over the government’s response to devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned home Sunday after nearly a year abroad, stepping back into a political landscape reshaped by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
“I’m here. With you all,” Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally supported by the Trump administration, and no presidential election has been scheduled.
When reporters asked President Donald Trump about Machado’s return in Port Huron, Michigan, he said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope that she was safe.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrives at a church after returning to the country following nearly a year abroad, in Lara, Venezuela, Oct. 25, 2026. (Vente Venezuela Press/Handout via REUTERS)
“I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman,” Trump said. “She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe. She’s a very nice woman. But we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”
Machado presented the Nobel Peace Prize she won to President Trump last week. (White House handout via Reuters)
Machado, who received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful opposition to Maduro’s government, did not reveal where she was staying or explain how she had re-entered the country.
Edmundo González, a fellow opposition leader who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from the race, confirmed her arrival online and said he would join her “very soon.”
“Today is a very important day for Venezuelans. Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process!” González wrote on X. “You know it, this is until the end.”
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks during a news conference at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, on Jan. 16, 2026. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Machado’s homecoming came nearly 10 months after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January, ending the longtime leader’s rule.
Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has continued to govern with the Trump administration’s backing, even after exceeding the period for which she was initially authorized to serve as acting president.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado displays vote tally sheets during a protest against the reelection of President Nicolás Maduro one month after the disputed presidential vote which she says the opposition won by a landslide, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Cristian Hernandez/AP Photo)
Trump has repeatedly highlighted his administration’s relationship with Rodríguez, pointing to agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business projects with U.S. companies.
In September, Trump said it was too early to discuss democratic elections in Venezuela because U.S. officials were focused on stabilizing the economy. Machado and her allies have continued to demand an election date, arguing that democratic rule is crucial to the country’s long-term stability.
Machado’s return could further complicate relations among Venezuela’s opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had urged her to postpone her return.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 9, 2025. (REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno)
Machado spent much of 2025 in hiding after being briefly detained following an opposition protest in January. She later left Venezuela secretly and resurfaced in Norway in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meanwhile, a faction of Venezuela’s opposition and Rodríguez’s government held another round of talks this month. The discussions focused on possible reforms to the Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.
Machado’s political movement has not participated in those negotiations.
