The Venezuelan leader María Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, stated this Friday that Venezuela is very close to freedom and what counts with the backing of US President Donald Trump, with whom he met on Thursday. Furthermore, he asked Venezuelans not to doubt this process.
“We are not going to rest until we achieve it. Venezuela is going to be free, let no one doubt it. And this is going to happen thanks to the support we have received from President Donald Trump. And I say it in all its letters and I said it yesterday in the Senate, in front of senators from both parties to whom I deeply appreciate their presence, because if there is something that has united the people of the United States, it is the cause for the freedom of Venezuela,” he stated.
Machado, in a press conference held at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, expressed that The United States government understands how the freedom of Venezuela affects the entire hemisphere, and said that during his meeting with the Republican president in the White House he felt enormous respect for the Venezuelan people
“I was struck by the concern he conveyed about the situation of Venezuelans. How are the children, young people, the elderly, the health system, the education system, the families, what plans do we have? Concerns about economic and energy issues are made more publicly known, but I was able to have a conversation with a human being who is hurt by what Venezuelans are experiencing, that you care and that you are genuinely committed to their well-being,” he said.
The opposition leader expressed that the position of the White House will serve as an example for world leaders who They have not had the determination to “call a spade a spade.” and emphasized that there are “no excuses” to continue denying what is happening in Venezuela, and even less so after the publication of the reports of the United Nations and the Fact-Finding Mission, which have demonstrated the crimes against humanity committed under the control of Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello and Vladimir Padrino López.
“That is there with names and surnames, with heartbreaking testimonies. There are no excuses to ignore state terrorismas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has described. Beyond all the crimes of corruption, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, weapons, everything that we know continues to happen in Venezuela,” he said.
Delcy Rodriguez ““He is following Trump’s orders.”
The Nobel Peace Prize winner stated that she understands that the rapprochement between Donald Trump and the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, generates concern among Venezuelans, however, she assured that The Chavista leader is only carrying out the orders given to her by the US administration.
He recalled that the regime, in all negotiation processes, only gained time and sought legitimacy.
“It is logical that the people of Venezuela have this concern, but Mrs. Delcy Rodríguez is currently carrying out orders. She is not in an agreement of her own initiative or comfort; she is following orders because in the end, If January 3 demonstrated anything, it is that there had to be a real threat, there had to be real force. The cost of staying in power had to be higher than the cost of leaving for this change of attitude in the regime to occur,” he stated.
He pointed out that Venezuelans did everything that corresponded to them in terms of organization, mobilization and electoral victory.
“But the decisive support of the United States was needed and it finally came from the hand of President Donald Trump. This is a phase. Today you have a sector that is fulfilling the dismantling of the other sector of the regime, that exists, and of course you have the real strength and threat of the United States. What is missing here? The people, the people of Venezuela. And that is what we represent, the legitimacy and the guarantee of an orderly transition that must have the support of the people of Venezuela.”
“I am going to return to Venezuela as soon as possible”
Machado, who refused to reveal details of the private meeting with Trump, did make it clear that he told the president his desire to return to Venezuela, and assured that it will happen soon.
“I am going to return to Venezuela as soon as possible. Obviously it was a topic that we discussed, with all that that implies. But it’s not just about me: there are millions of Venezuelans and also other political leaders from different parties who want to do it. Even some senators talked about going to Venezuela, and maybe we can even go together. I think there are many people in the world preparing to go to Venezuela“, said.
The leader emphasized that Venezuela is going through an irreversible process, although she did not venture to talk about how long it could take because unforeseen phases may occur, but she stressed that It is a complex process that involves dismantling a structure that has been in power for almost 30 years and that has had Russia, China and Iran as allies. In addition, he assured that Chavismo offered Venezuelan territory for terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as drug trafficking cartels and the Colombian guerrillas, to operate.
He recalled that since 1999 the so-called Bolivarian revolution gave the Cuban regime nearly 5,000 million barrels of oil. “Don’t come and tell me who is keeping Venezuela’s oil at this moment. They have looted the country and, yet, Venezuela remains standing, determined and united. And you can be sure that “We are going to turn Venezuela, now, into the Latin American miracle,” he added.
“The regime is obliged to dismantle itself”
María Corina Machado said that the Chavista regime, now led by Delcy Rodríguez, is forced to dismantle itself and assured that those who have control of the State realized that they face the strength of an organized people and democratic allies.
“We are in a complex phase. The regime is forced to dismantle itself and some structures that have kept it in power. This begins with repression. And they not only have to release political prisoners because being free from prison does not mean that one is free. The prisoners have been released from prisons in Venezuela but they cannot speak to the press, they cannot leave the country and they still live in terror,” he said.
He pointed out that all torture centers in Venezuela must be closed and that guarantees are needed so that journalists do not suffer censorship and for exiles to return to the country. The leader expressed that she understands the desperation of families who do not know where their loved ones are being held or who even avoided reporting their disappearance out of fear.
“There is a criminal structure of terror not only in the civilian population, but also within the military. One of the most important emergencies and priorities that must be carried out in the days to come is to dismantle the terrorism structure of the Military House and the Dgcim, which are organizations that have committed crimes. “We must neutralize this terror,” he said.
In this sense, accused Delcy Rodríguez of supervising repression in Venezuela since he assumed the Vice Presidency of the Republic. “The torture centers are and have been under his direction. He is directly responsible and has been part of the design of bypass the sanctions and justice of the United States to continue making financial transactions with countries that are enemies of the United States. It is very clear what his profile is”, he pointed out.
New presidential election in Venezuela?
Once that has happened, Machado indicated, progress can be made towards the institutionalization of the country and free and fair elections can be called. On this last point, he clarified that They will be the elections for governors, mayors and the National Assemblyand recalled that Edmundo González Urrutia won the presidential elections of July 28, 2024.
“We need the will of the people to be freely expressed. In the last presidential elections, Edmundo González won the election. Almost 40% of Venezuelans with the right to vote could not vote because the regime did not allow them. “It is something very important that we have to correct, that every Venezuelan within Venezuela or abroad has the right to vote and this must be done as soon as possible,” he expressed.
“I feel enormous confidence in the determination of the people of Venezuela who have remained firm despite all the horror we have experienced in these months. And also because of the commitment that I have seen in Washington, not only in the White House but also on Capitol Hill. I feel that there is a deep understanding that this is an issue of freedom in the face of tyranny, of democracy in the face of a criminal system that has kidnapped an entire country,” he added.
