'When the right time comes': Maria Corina Machado vows to be future Venezuela president

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado says she remains determined to become her country’s president, even as Washington has moved ahead without her following the removal of Nicolas Maduro. Speaking on Fox & Friends after meetings in Washington, Machado said she believes her moment will come, insisting she still holds a popular mandate to lead Venezuela and would become its first female president.

Her comments come after President Donald Trump recognised Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, as interim leader following a US military operation on January 3 that resulted in Maduro’s arrest. Trump has argued that Machado lacks sufficient domestic backing and has instead supported Rodríguez, citing cooperation over US access to Venezuela’s oil resources. Machado’s political movement maintains that Maduro rigged the 2024 election, an allegation backed by the United States and several international partners.

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“I will serve Venezuela wherever I am most effective,” Machado said, adding that the electoral mandate she claims has not disappeared. In a dramatic gesture aimed at influencing Trump, Machado presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal during a White House lunch on Thursday, calling the moment deeply emotional and saying the honor belonged to the Venezuelan people. The Nobel Committee has previously stated that prizes cannot be transferred, and it remains unclear whether Trump kept the medal.

Trump had actively sought the Nobel Peace Prize last year, arguing his diplomacy helped end multiple global conflicts. The award instead went to Machado, who traveled to Oslo to accept it after fleeing Venezuela by boat. Meanwhile, Trump and Rodríguez held their first phone call this week, with the White House signaling approval of her early actions. Rodríguez, however, struck a defiant tone, saying her government would engage Washington diplomatically but would not be intimidated.

Rodriguez delivered Venezuela’s annual address to parliament as Maduro remains jailed in New York on drug trafficking charges. At the same time, Machado was met by cheering supporters in Washington. According to The New York Times, CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Rodríguez on Thursday, reinforcing signs that the US sees her as a temporary governing partner.