Speaking from Oslo, where she accepted her well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado had some sharp things to say about the Venezuelan Maduro regime - and some much more appreciative things to say about President Donald Trump, whose administration she credits for getting her to Oslo.
María Corina Machado said she got “support” from the United States to travel to Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize this week, but declined to elaborate.
Asked about the circumstances in which she left Venezuela and whether she benefited from help from US authorities, the opposition leader responded: “Yes, we did get support from the United States’ government.”
“I cannot give details, because these are people that could be harmed,” Machado said of those who aided her travel. “Certainly, the regime would have done everything to prevent me from coming. They did not know where I was in hiding in Venezuela, so it was hard for them to stop me.”
It seems certain, given the nature of the Maduro regime, to note that the people who aided Machado's travel would be harmed, never mind "could be." There's no need for tentative language here; the Maduro regime has a well-established and well-deserved reputation for brutality.
Speaking in Oslo, the Venezuelan opposition leader also said:
“And I know that you will also be back in Venezuela very soon, we’re going to show the world that we do not only deserve this Nobel Prize, but that this generation will outlast what is going on,” she added.
The government of Nicolás Maduro warned she would be considered a “fugitive” by authorities should she leave Venezuela.
Machado said that she has met many Venezuelans on the streets in Oslo on Thursday, including people who told her “they are preparing their bags to come back home to build a nation that will be so proud.”
That all will depend on what becomes of Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration, as we have been reporting, is putting some serious pressure on the Venezuelan dictator.
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The question is, will it be enough to push Maduro out? Having your own personal country under your boot has to be a hard thing to walk away from, and while is seems likely that the United States and the Venezuelan opposition might be willing to let Maduro, his family, and his inner circle bug out to someplace like Switzerland, where he would have access to the Zurich bank accounts that despots always seem to have, Maduro may not be willing to go quietly into that good night. He may choose instead to dig in his heels.
That might end with an arrest and a trial, if the Venezuelan people decide they've finally had enough. Or it may end with the Mussolini solution. In any case, the removal of all things Maduro from the Venezuelan government would be the best thing to happen in that country in a long, long time. President Trump seems pretty determined to make this happen, and a newer, more liberty-minded leader is already waiting in the wings. Senora Machado is 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.
That's all to the good, but in the end, this is something that the Venezuelan people will have to attend to themselves. But it sure looks to me like they have a good leader already.
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.
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