The leading political opposition voice to Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is speaking out in the wake of the U.S. capture of the illegitimate president, as RedState reported earlier on Saturday.
In December 2025 in Oslo, Norway, while picking up the Nobel Peace Prize alongside the duly elected president of Venezuela, Edmundo González, for their part in leading the opposition to the now-captured Venezuelan dictator Maduro, Maria Corina Machado called for the strongman to be removed and as my colleague Ward Clark wrote at the time, "already giving the Trump administration props for the pressure on Maduro":
María Corina Machado said she believes US President Donald Trump’s actions have been “decisive” in weakening the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
“I believe every country has the right to defend themselves, and in our case, I believe that President Trump’s actions have been decisive to reach the point where we are right now, in which the regime is weaker than ever,” Machado said.
Opposition Leader Machado: End Maduro's Reign of Repression Now
Here's another relevant part of her Oslo remarks, and it ably refutes the current criticism of the U.S. "invading" Venezuela:
"Some people talk about invasion in Venezuela... I answer, Venezuela has already been invaded. We have Russian agents, Iranian agents, terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, operating freely in accordance with the regime..." #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/1CQt2EOk6q
— Terry Newman (@TLNewmanMTL) January 3, 2026
"Look, some people talk about invasion in Venezuela and the threat of an invasion in Venezuela and I answered Venezuela has been already invaded," Machado said.
"We have the Russian agents, we have the Iranian agents. We have terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, operating freely in accordance with the regime," she continued. She then talked about the forces within the country that have "turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas."
The Nobel Prize winner said that "what has sustained the regime is a very powerful and strongly funded repression system."
Machado went on to outline where those funds come from: drug trafficking, black market sales of oil, arms trafficking, and human trafficking, explaining that "we need to cut those flows" for the regime to be "over."
On Saturday, it was indeed over for Maduro's corrupt and repressive regime. During a press conference, Pres. Trump said that in the short term, Venezuela will be run by the U.S. and a "group."
READ MORE: Night Stalkers Over Caracas: How U.S. Special Forces Pulled Off the Perfect Raid
My colleague Ward Clark made a supposition that Machado could be the best choice to take the reins next. But now, we have a statement with Maria Corina Machado's own take after Maduro's ouster.
Translated from Spanish, her post on X begins: "Venezuelans, the time for freedom has arrived."
Venezolanos, llegó la hora de la libertad. pic.twitter.com/ehy20V1xm9
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) January 3, 2026
“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power,” Machado said in her first public comments Saturday.
“We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home.”
...
Machado celebrated Maduro’s capture Saturday.
“The time has come for popular sovereignty and national sovereignty to govern our country. We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado wrote in a statement.
“We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
There are many parts of this story still developing. As The NY Post piece linked above notes, Machado has expressed a willingness to accept the nation's vice president as the transitional leader:
He [Trump] indicated that [sic] spoke with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez — who is to assume power after Maduro’s arrest as per the Venezuelan constitution — and that she reassured her willingness “to do what’s necessary to make Venezuela great again.
We'll keep you posted.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
Help us continue to report on the administration’s peace through strength foreign policy and its successes. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member