Trump tried to stop her — Machado returns to Venezuela anyway

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who left the country in December last year and had been living in exile, secretly returned home Sunday (local time). Her arrival comes as opposition parties grow louder in demanding democratic elections following the ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro, raising questions about whether her return could complicate Washington's blueprint for a power transition — one that has so far involved oil trade deals with the interim government.

Machado announced her return on social media, writing: "I am here. With all of you." Foreign media reported that she flew by private jet from Panama to Colombia before crossing into Venezuela by land.

Venezuela's opposition later released photos and videos of Machado meeting supporters at a church in the western state of Lara. She then traveled to the capital, Caracas, under motorcycle escort. Along the route, supporters gathered to sing the national anthem and chant slogans in her honor.

Her return is expected to galvanize the opposition's push for elections and could accelerate the process of choosing Venezuela's next leader. Pedro Urruchurtu, a close aide to Machado, said in a statement that her return was intended to hasten the transfer of power and bring about elections. Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran for president in 2024 with Machado's backing, also said from his exile in Spain that he would return soon.

Venezuela has been under an interim government for 10 months since Maduro was ousted in January, with former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez serving as acting president.

The Associated Press reported that Rodriguez has already exceeded the legally permitted period for serving as acting president following Maduro's arrest and transfer to US custody, yet no election date has been set.

Donald Trump said in September that Venezuela was "not ready yet" to hold elections, a position Rodriguez echoed. In the meantime, the United States reached an agreement with Rodriguez's interim government on opening the oil market. The arrangement has drawn criticism that Washington and the interim government are trading in oil and other interests while delaying the formation of a legitimate next government. Trump tapped former lawmaker Dinora Figuera to represent the opposition and coordinate with the government on holding general elections. While Figuera nominally leads the opposition, her return from exile in Spain and assumption of that role are said to have depended heavily on support from the Trump administration — effectively placing a figure aligned with Washington's position at the head of the opposition while repeatedly deferring the opposition's demands for elections.

Asked about Machado's return by reporters as he left the White House for Michigan on Sunday, Trump said, "She gave me her Nobel Prize. What else can I say?" He added that she was "a very good woman" but that "we're doing really well in Venezuela." In an earlier interview with Fox News, he said the United States had Venezuela "totally under control" and that "every week we're taking millions of barrels of oil out of there."

The remarks were widely read as suggesting there is no urgent need to hold early elections and lock in the next leadership, given that both Venezuela and the United States are managing the situation well. The Venezuelan government made no comment on Machado's return. Figuera, however, said the return was the result of negotiations with the government aimed at restoring democracy and holding the next election.

The AP also reported that Machado had attempted to return seven times, only to be turned back each time, and suggested that Trump's reluctance to see her return early may have played a role. According to Reuters, Machado's repeated insistence on returning was met with considerable displeasure by the Trump administration, and US officials asked her to delay her return.

It is also worth noting that Machado's return comes one week before US midterm elections. If Republicans lose, a Democrat-led Congress could intensify scrutiny of the Trump administration's Venezuela policy.