Machado Insists Trump Will Do What’s Needed to Turn Venezuela Into a Democracy

A day after she gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado insisted that her country was on an irreversible path toward democracy, even as Trump has spoken far more frequently in recent days about securing Venezuelan oil than bringing about free elections. Speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, Machado said she was “profoundly confident” that Venezuela would see an orderly transition and, eventually, free and fair elections, and that she trusted Trump to do what was necessary to make that happen. “Venezuela is going to be free,” Machado said, adding that freedom would be achieved “with the support of the people of the United States and President Donald Trump.” She described the moment as the “first steps of a true transition to democracy,” while acknowledging that the process ahead would be “very complex and difficult.” Her confidence stood in contrast to the Trump Administration’s actions in Venezuela following the Jan. 3 raid that removed Nicolás Maduro and sent him to the United States to face narco-trafficking charges. In the two weeks since, Trump has backed former Maduro loyalists—led by interim President Delcy Rodríguez—to govern Venezuela in the short term, and has given little detail of plans to transition Venezuela into a democracy. Administration officials have argued that Rodríguez represents the most stable option for maintaining order and ensuring cooperation, particularly on securing Venezuela’s vast energy reserves. “I don’t need to urge the President on specific things,” she said, describing their Oval Office meeting as an exchange of views rather than a negotiation. She said she was impressed by how closely Trump followed developments in Venezuela and said he was concerned about the well-being of its people, including political prisoners and their families. Machado said she believed the remnants of what she called a “criminal structure” that had dominated Venezuela for years would eventually dismantle themselves, paving the way for democratic institutions to be rebuilt. While she offered no details on how or when that would occur, she said that once the transition advanced, Venezuelans would be able to choose their leaders freely, including governors, mayors, and the National Assembly. Her comments also came amid clear signs of competing courtships of the Trump Administration. Coinciding with her White House visit, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Caracas to meet Rodríguez, the highest-level known U.S. visit since Maduro’s removal.  Machado’s efforts to win Trump’s favor have frustrated some Venezuelans, particularly after the U.S. President dismissed the idea of installing her as the country’s leader, arguing she lacked sufficient support in the short term. White House officials have echoed that assessment publicly, even as a poll of Venezuelans released this week by Caracas‑based firm Meganálisis found 78% would vote for Machado in a presidential election.  Still, Machado insisted that her goal was not personal power. “I didn’t come here to seek anything for myself,” she said.  “We have a huge task in front of us to prepare with other teams around the world and in Venezuela to take our government when the right time arrives.” She also portrayed Venezuela’s future as closely aligned with U.S. interests. A democratic Venezuela, she said, would become one of the United States’ closest allies in the hemisphere and a society “profoundly pro-America.” For now, the gap remains wide between Trump’s rhetoric and Machado’s hopes as Trump continues to celebrate cooperation with Rodríguez’s government on oil and security, deflecting questions about elections and focusing instead on stability and profits. Machado said she was convinced that those priorities would ultimately converge. “I have no doubt that President Trump, his administration and the people of the United States support democracy, justice and freedom,” she said. “This is a hard process. But the result will be a proud Venezuela—free, democratic and ready to move forward.”