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By Jesus Mesa
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Venezuelan opposition leaders say they remain committed to the strategy pursued by the United States government, downplaying tensions with President Donald Trump after he publicly questioned Maria Corina Machado’s ability to lead the country’s transition.
Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, had long courted Trump’s favor. But after U.S. Special Forces captured Maduro in Caracas, Trump stunned many by saying that Machado lacked support inside the country and announced the administration would deal with Maduro’s former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s new interim leader.
Freddy Guevara, a former National Assembly leader who was imprisoned by the Maduro regime in 2021 and later went into exile, now based in New York, told Newsweek the opposition remains on track.
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“Maybe not in the times we want, or with everything we want, but I'm sure we're going toward a democratic transition,” he said.
These comments were echoed by Gaby Arellano, a former National Assembly member now coordinating Machado’s political team from exile in Bogotá, Colombia. Arellano told Newsweek that while Trump’s comments on Machado were unexpected, the opposition remains fully committed to the U.S.-backed transition.
“We thank Donald Trump and his administration, but above all, we thank Marco Rubio and his office for their work. This isn’t about emotions—this is about results.”
Why It Matters
Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago on Saturday, shocked attendees when he said Machado “doesn’t have the support” to lead the country, despite her landslide win in a 2024 election that international observers and opposition figures say was rigged by the Maduro regime.
Days later, reports from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal revealed that U.S. officials believed Rodríguez would better secure American energy interests in Venezuela in the short term, a view shaped in part by U.S. intelligence assessments and back-channel diplomacy involving Trump ally and Special Presidential Envoy Richard Grenell.
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What To Know
After Maduro’s capture and removal by U.S. forces, discussions about Venezuela’s political future entered an unpredictable phase. Within hours of the U.S. raid, Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president, and Washington acknowledged that she might be the point of contact in the meantime.
“She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump told reporters of Rodríguez, who faced U.S. sanctions during Trump’s first administration for her role in undermining Venezuelan democracy.
For members of the opposition, the choice was viewed as a tactical move rather than a strategic endorsement. Guevara described it as a decision based on “immediate control” rather than a credible path toward transition. He said the priority now is to press for the release of political prisoners and secure conditions for free elections.
“I think the Americans are not betting on revolution, but on reforms,” Guevara told Newsweek. “But the one who’s holding the gun now is the American government. And we hope that these guys learn that the Americans are not playing, and that now there’s a credible threat if they don’t comply.”
Reports of tension between Machado and U.S. officials began to emerge even before the operation to remove Maduro was completed. Machado told Reuters she had not spoken with Trump since October 2025, when she dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to him.
Despite the gesture, relations with the White House appeared to cool in the months that followed.
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However, Arellano, speaking from Bogotá—where she has lived in exile for the past eight years—said that despite Trump’s remarks about Machado, coordination with U.S. officials remains active and has been mostly positive. She also said that Machado and Rubio speak frequently by phone.
“Trump has his narrative, and we respect that. We also have ours, and it remains unchanged. María Corina Machado leads a legitimate process, and that hasn’t changed because of one comment,” she said. “We have experienced firsthand what it is to be under the yoke of a criminal gang”.
She also warned that the White House should not place trust in Rodríguez or her allies. “Delcy Rodríguez is not a guarantee for economic investment, stability or transition. And that for there to be a transition, for a real process of restoring democracy to begin, the cartel must evict Miraflores.”
Guevara also said the opposition would continue pressing for concrete outcomes.
“We’re going to keep organizing people and doing our thing inside Venezuela,” he told Newsweek. “But the one who’s holding the gun now is the American government. And we hope that these guys learn that the Americans are not playing.”
What People Are Saying
María Corina Machado, speaking on Fox News's Hannity on Monday: “Every day, I make a decision about where I am most useful to our cause.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday: “Let’s be realistic here. What we are focused on right now is that all of the problems we had when Maduro was there are still with us and need to be addressed. We are going to give people an opportunity to tackle those challenges.”
Trump, speaking to The New York Post: “Maybe [Machado] should run. Maybe somebody else should run. But first, we have to run the country right.”
Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott on a video posted on X: "I just got off the phone with @MariaCorinaYA. She’s extremely grateful for @POTUS’ bold action to hold Maduro and his thugs accountable and work to restore freedom and democracy in Venezuela. Now we must get the political prisoners, including Americans, home and end the regime’s repression once and for all!"
What Happens Next
Venezuela’s constitution requires a new election to be called within a month if the president is absent but experts say it is unclear whether if the rule applies in this case, given the government’s lack of popular legitimacy and the extraordinary U.S. military intervention.
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