The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the opposition leader María Corina Machado “is fantastic” but is currently outside Venezuela.
“María Corina Machado is fantastic, and she is someone I have known for a long time, just like the entire movement, but we are dealing with the immediate reality,” Rubio said this Sunday on the NBC program Meet the Press.
"The immediate reality is that, unfortunately and sadly, the vast majority of the opposition is no longer present in Venezuela. We have short-term issues that need to be addressed immediately," he added, referring to a possible opposition-led transition.
Yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump questioned the ability of opposition leader María Corina Machado to govern in Venezuela.
"He does not have [sufficient] support within the country, he does not have respect within the country," the Republican said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago this Saturday, where he explained the details of the operation that extracted Nicolás Maduro from Caracas.
He also asserted that they have not contacted her since the attack.
Machado, for her part, issued a statement addressed to the people of Venezuela, in which she assured that “the time for freedom has come” and urged the citizens to remain organized and active in the process of democratic transition.
In the text dated January 3, 2026, Machado stated that Nicolás Maduro is facing international justice "for the heinous crimes committed against Venezuelans and citizens of many other nations," and emphasized that, in light of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law.
The opposition leader declared that "the time has come for Popular Sovereignty and National Sovereignty to prevail in our country," and called for the release of political prisoners, the restoration of order, and the construction of "an exceptional country."
Machado stated that “we have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it,” and affirmed that this is the moment for citizens “who risked everything for democracy on July 28.” In that sense, he acknowledged Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate president of Venezuela, who—according to the statement—must assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander in Chief of the National Armed Forces.
However, at the press conference on Saturday, the U.S. president disavowed the Venezuelan opposition and revealed that the U.S. strategy involves negotiation with chavismo.
Filed under:
