• María Corina Machado calls for immediate installation of Edmundo González as rightful president
• Trump dismisses Nobel laureate’s leadership potential, says she lacks support
• Political analysts reject Trump’s assessment, cite Machado’s overwhelming popular backing

CARACAS, VZ (TDR) — Opposition leader María Corina Machado is asserting that Venezuela’s democratic transition must be led by Venezuelans themselves, responding to President Donald Trump‘s surprising dismissal of her leadership potential following Saturday’s military operation that captured President Nicolás Maduro.

In a statement posted after Maduro’s capture, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate called for the immediate installation of Edmundo González Urrutia as Venezuela’s legitimate president and urged the military to recognize his constitutional mandate.

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“This is the time of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28,” Machado wrote, referencing the 2024 presidential election that independent exit polls showed González winning by a two-thirds margin.

Trump’s Rejection Sparks Controversy

Trump told reporters Saturday he had not been in contact with Machado and does not believe she can assume Venezuela’s leadership role. “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago.

The president announced the United States would “run the country” until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can occur, suggesting he would work instead with Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro regime stalwart.

Political analyst Liz Alarcón, with expertise in Latin America, sharply rejected Trump’s characterization during an appearance on ABC News Live. “What we want to see is, of course, the support of the entire international community, including the United States, to oust an illegitimate leader like Nicolás Maduro from the country, but we also want our will as Venezuelans inside and outside of the country to be respected,” Alarcón said.

“What we want to see is for those still in power in Venezuela to receive guarantees, to exit peacefully, and to give way to the liberty that so many Venezuelans were wanting, and that means liberty from everyone and to see the country governed by those who we elected.”

Opposition’s Popular Support

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Machado overwhelmingly won Venezuela’s 2023 opposition primary to become the unity candidate for the 2024 presidential election. The Maduro-controlled Supreme Tribunal of Justice subsequently barred her from running, leading her to designate González as her replacement candidate.

Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group, told Fox News that “Machado and Gonzalez would assume a transitional government in Venezuela. They have the support of 70% of Venezuelans.”

The opposition presented vote tallies showing González winning the July 2024 election in a landslide, while the government-run National Electoral Council declared victory for Maduro without presenting evidence. The United States recognized González as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.

Machado, 57, is an industrial engineer with a master’s degree in finance who founded the vote-monitoring organization Súmate. She served in Venezuela’s National Assembly from 2011 to 2014 and has been a prominent opposition leader throughout the Chávez and Maduro eras.

Call for Democratic Transition

In her statement, Machado emphasized that “popular sovereignty and national sovereignty” must prevail in Venezuela. She called on Venezuelans abroad to mobilize and engage governments worldwide “from now on to the great operation of building the new Venezuela.”

“We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” Machado wrote, referencing the estimated 8 million Venezuelans who have fled the country under Maduro’s rule.

Venezuela expert David Smilde, a professor at Tulane University, told CNN he was struck that Trump declined to mention “democracy” during his press conference. “It doesn’t look like they have in mind a democratic transition. They have in mind a country that is friendly and open to the United States interests, stable and economically productive.”

Florida Representatives María Elvira Salazar and Mario Díaz-Balart, both Republicans, expressed support for Machado. Díaz-Balart said he was “convinced” the next democratically elected president of Venezuela will be Machado.

Machado’s whereabouts remain unknown, though she has stated her intention to return to Venezuela regardless of who holds power.

Will the Trump administration ultimately work with Venezuela’s democratically elected opposition, or will pragmatic considerations lead to partnership with Maduro-era officials?

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