❓WHAT HAPPENED: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed strong support for President Trump’s strategy to pressure Nicolás Maduro’s regime and highlighted the importance of U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s fight for democracy.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: María Corina Machado, President Donald Trump, Nicolás Maduro, and international allies, including the United States.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Machado recently spoke on CBS’s “Face the Nation” after receiving her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway, marking her first public appearance in nearly a year.

💬KEY QUOTE: “We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and to his administration, because I believe he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere.” – María Corina Machado

🎯IMPACT: Machado’s statements underscore the growing pressure on Maduro’s regime and the pivotal role of U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela’s path toward democracy.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado praised President Donald J. Trump’s approach toward Venezuela, calling him a “champion of freedom in this hemisphere” and crediting his administration with intensifying pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government. Machado said the Trump administration has finally taken steps the Venezuelan opposition has long requested, including expanded sanctions, seizures of Venezuelan oil, and military actions aimed at disrupting illegal activities tied to the regime.

“We, the Venezuelan people, are very grateful to him and to his administration, because I believe he is a champion of freedom in this hemisphere,” she said.

Machado added that those measures signal that Venezuela is now being treated as a U.S. national security priority. “We have been asking this for years, so it’s finally happening,” she said, adding that the Maduro regime’s “days are numbered.”

Machado recently escaped Venezuela to travel to Norway, where she accepted a Nobel Peace Prize. She dedicated the award to President Trump, arguing that sustained international pressure is essential to ending Maduro’s rule. While acknowledging the hardships caused by sanctions, she defended the policy, saying, “What we want to do is to save lives, but Maduro was the one who declared a war on the Venezuelan people.”

She called on democratic nations to work together to shut down the regime’s illicit revenue streams and raise the cost of Maduro remaining in power. Machado said growing cracks within the government are already visible, particularly within the armed forces and police. “The wide majority of the military want change,” she said, pointing to recent cases of service members refusing orders or reaching out to opposition figures.

Her comments come as the Trump administration has increased both economic and military pressure on Venezuela. In recent days, the United States announced new sanctions targeting Venezuelan and Iranian individuals and entities accused of supporting weapons and technology transfers tied to Caracas. U.S. officials have said the sanctions are designed to weaken the Maduro government’s international networks and limit its ability to fund security operations.

The administration has also acknowledged direct military action linked to Venezuela. Trump recently revealed that U.S. forces struck a facility on Venezuelan territory allegedly used to load narcotics shipments, marking a significant escalation in operations tied to counter-drug efforts. Separately, the U.S. military has continued maritime operations in the Caribbean, sinking vessels accused of working with drug cartels amid what officials describe as expanding Venezuela-related security missions.

Asked about the possibility of U.S. troops entering Venezuela, Machado said she supports “more and more pressure” to force Maduro out but does not expect American ground forces to be deployed. She emphasized that international allies, particularly the United States, will play a critical role in rebuilding democratic institutions after a transition.

“The day Maduro goes,” Machado said, “you will see tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants coming back home.”

Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok.

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