Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela
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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has urged U.S. lawmakers to help facilitate her return to Venezuela, a request that highlights tensions between her political movement and the Trump administration's growing cooperation with the country's interim government.
During a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill last week, Machado asked legislators to relay a message to President Donald Trump: "Tell the president that I want to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible," according to notes reviewed by The Washington Post. Her appeal suggested a disconnect with Washington, which has praised interim president Delcy Rodríguez and declined to provide a timeline for Machado's return.
Machado's allies say the administration's approach risks prioritizing stability over democratic reform. "The administration should allow Machado's return," said Diego Area, president of the think tank Global Americans to The Post. "Order without reform only postpones instability."
Trump has framed the removal of Nicolás Maduro less as a democratic project than as a strategic effort tied to Venezuela's energy resources. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also highlighted Rodríguez's cooperation with Washington, citing her efforts to provide U.S. companies "preferential access" to oil production and to align Venezuela's policies with U.S. priorities.
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The White House has deepened engagement with Rodríguez's government in recent weeks, going as far as referring to the former vice president as "a terrific person." Trump said on Thursday he spoke with her by phone and announced that the U.S. would reopen commercial airspace over Venezuela and encourage American travel to the country.
A spokesperson for Machado denied any rift with Washington to The Post, saying her desire to return reflects long-standing public statements.
Analysts and former officials warn that the administration's strategy could entrench an authoritarian system without Maduro. Political analyst Andrés Oppenheimer wrote in The Miami Herald that Rodríguez has consolidated power while presenting herself as a pragmatic partner for the United States. Former national security adviser John Bolton told Oppehheimer the approach risks "a dictatorship, just without Maduro."
Trump has expressed mixed views on Machado's role. Earlier this month he suggested she could be involved "some way" in Venezuela's political future, while previously questioning her leadership credentials. Critics argue that her return could complicate Washington's effort to stabilize the country and attract foreign investment, while supporters say excluding her undermines the credibility of any democratic transition.
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Tags: Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela, Venezuelan, Delcy rodriguez, Nicolas Maduro, Trump administration