María Corina Machado warns Americans of the dangers of socialism
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado joins Rachel Campos-Duffy in Panama to caution Americans about the dangers of socialism ahead of the midterm elections. Machado delivers a direct message to President Donald Trump, applaiding his leadership and saying that capturing Maduro could become his legacy. She also criticizes Delcy Rodríguez over the government’s response to devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned home Sunday after spending nearly a year abroad, stepping back into a political landscape reshaped by the U.S. removal of Nicolás Maduro.
“I’m here. With you all,” Machado wrote on social media, confirming 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.
Asked about Machado’s return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, President Donald Trump said he was not aware 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 received the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful opposition to Maduro’s government. She has not disclosed her precise location or explained how she managed to return to Venezuela.
Edmundo González, a fellow opposition leader who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from competing, 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 follows the U.S. capture of Maduro in January, an operation that removed the longtime Venezuelan leader from power nearly 10 months ago.
Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, has continued to govern with backing from the Trump administration, 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 working relationship with Rodríguez, including agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other ventures with U.S. companies.
In September, Trump said it was premature to discuss democratic elections in Venezuela, while U.S. officials focused on stabilizing the economy. Machado and her allies have continued demanding an election date, maintaining that democratic rule is critical to the country’s lasting stability.
Machado’s return may further strain relations among Venezuela’s opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had urged her to postpone her homecoming.
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 reappeared in Norway in December to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
At the same time, a faction of Venezuela’s opposition and Rodríguez’s government held another round of talks this month. Reuters reported that the discussions centered on reforms to the Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections.
Machado’s political movement has not participated in those negotiations.