Overview
- In a video posted on X, María Corina Machado said she will come back to Venezuela "very soon" to help drive a transition and prioritized freeing detainees, alleging more than 700 are jailed for political reasons.
- She asserted support from key democracies, naming the Trump administration and Marco Rubio, while she remains legally barred from holding office until 2030 and faces treason and conspiracy investigations.
- The Washington Post, citing scholar David Smilde, reported that her return could spark protests and street clashes that conflict with the White House’s push for economic normalization.
- The Post also reported that U.S. leaders framed their operation against Nicolás Maduro as aimed at securing control over Venezuela’s resources rather than democratization and noted the administration declined to specify a timetable for her return.
- Media reports have said U.S. forces struck Venezuela on January 3 and transferred Maduro and his spouse to New York, and Trump has said U.S. control over Venezuela would last "much more than a year."