María Corina Machado warns Americans of the dangers of socialism
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado joins Rachel Campos-Duffy in Panama to warn Americans about the dangers of socialism ahead of the midterms. Machado shares a direct message to President Donald Trump, praising his leadership and stating that capturing Maduro would be his legacy. She also criticizes Delcy Rodriguez over the response to devastating earthquakes in Venezuela.
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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado made returned to her home country on Sunday after nearly a year abroad, re-entering a political landscape transformed by the U.S. ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
“I’m here. With you all,” Machado wrote on social media, announcing her return for the first time since December. Her homecoming comes as Venezuela remains under the leadership of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally backed by the Trump administration, with no presidential election scheduled.
President Donald Trump, asked about Machado’s return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.
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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, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 for her peaceful opposition to Maduro’s government, did not disclose her exact location or provide details about how she returned.
Fellow opposition leader Edmundo González, who ran for president in 2024 after Machado was barred from seeking office, confirmed her arrival on social media 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 return comes nearly 10 months after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January, removing the longtime leader from power.
Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has remained in power with the Trump administration’s support, despite exceeding the period 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 praised his administration’s relationship with Rodríguez, highlighting agreements involving Venezuelan oil production and other business ventures with American companies.
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In September, Trump said it was too soon to consider holding democratic elections in Venezuela, with U.S. officials prioritizing economic stabilization. Machado and her allies, meanwhile, have pushed for an election date, arguing that democratic governance is essential to the country’s long-term stability.
Her return could complicate relations between the Venezuelan opposition, the interim government and Washington. Reuters reported in June that U.S. officials had asked Machado to delay her return.
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 that January. She later secretly left Venezuela and resurfaced in Norway in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meanwhile, a faction of the Venezuelan opposition and Rodríguez’s government held another round of talks this month focused on reforms to the country’s Supreme Court and electoral authorities ahead of eventual elections, Reuters reported.
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Machado’s political movement has not participated in those negotiations.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.