The opposition leader says she would facilitate the return of Venezuelans who fled the country during Maduro’s government.
14ymedio/EFE, Washington DC, January 6, 2026 — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, winner of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, told Fox News on Monday that she wishes to share the award with US President Donald Trump and thank him personally for Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela, which ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro last Saturday.
“I would certainly love to be able to tell him personally that we, the Venezuelan people, believe—because this is an award of the Venezuelan people—we certainly want to give it to him and share it with him,” Machado said during the interview with host Sean Hannity.
She recalled that when she won the Nobel Prize, she dedicated it to Trump. “If I thought he deserved it in October, imagine now. I think he has shown the world what it means,” she added. Regarding this, she said, “January 3rd will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny. It is a milestone, and not only is it enormous for Venezuelans, it is a great step for humanity, freedom, and dignity.”
“If I thought he deserved it in October, imagine now. I think he has shown the world what it means.”
In the same interview, the opposition leader said she plans to return to Venezuela as soon as possible and specified that she has not spoken with Trump since Maduro’s capture by the United States.
Furthermore, Machado maintained that the opposition she leads would transform Venezuela into an energy hub for the Americas, restore the rule of law to guarantee the security of foreign investment, and facilitate the return of Venezuelans who, she said, fled the country during Maduro’s administration. It is estimated that, since 2014, 7.7 million Venezuelans, approximately 20% of the population, have left the country.
The opposition leader claimed her movement would win “more than 90% of the vote” in a free and fair election. However, Trump has publicly refused to endorse her and has ruled out calling for new elections in the near future.
Machado had signaled, through a message on social media, that “the freedom of Venezuela is near”
Hours earlier, Machado had signaled, through a message on social media, that “the freedom of Venezuela is near” and that “soon” its citizens, including those who are abroad, will “celebrate” in their own country.
The former congresswoman indicated in the message that the Venezuelan people “took to the streets in 30 countries and 130 cities around the world to celebrate a huge step that marks the inevitability and imminence of the transition” in the South American country.
“We are going to shout, pray and hug each other as a family, because our children will return home,” said Machado, who shared a video of some of these mobilizations in various countries along with the message.
“Let’s shout, pray, and hug each other as a family, because our children will return home.”
In addition, she stated that Venezuela “will be the United States’ main ally in matters of security, energy, democracy and human rights.”
However, Trump has questioned whether the opposition leader, who left Venezuela last December to receive the Nobel Prize in Oslo after nearly a year in hiding, has the capacity to govern, stating that she “does not have enough respect or support” in Venezuela.
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