Machado says she will lead Venezuela when the time is right despite US backing her rival
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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado has said she believes she will be elected president of Venezuela when the right time comes, even as the United States has backed a rival leadership following the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking on Fox News after meeting US President Donald Trump in Washington, Machado said she had a mandate from the Venezuelan people and hoped to become the country’s first woman president.
Her comments came after the US supported Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, as interim leader following a US military operation on January 3 that seized Maduro, who is now jailed in New York on drug trafficking charges.
Machado’s party maintains that Maduro stole the 2024 presidential election, a claim backed by Washington and much of the international community.
However, Trump has said Machado lacks sufficient support inside Venezuela and has chosen to work with Rodriguez, provided she cooperates on US access to Venezuela’s oil resources.
Machado said she wanted to serve her country where she was most useful and insisted her political mandate remained intact.
On Thursday, she presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump during a White House lunch, calling the gesture emotional and saying it was offered on behalf of the Venezuelan people. It was unclear whether Trump retained the medal, as Nobel prizes cannot be transferred.
Rodriguez, meanwhile, has said her government would stand up to Washington through diplomatic dialogue. Trump has said he is encouraged by his early interactions with her, while US officials continue to engage with her administration.
