Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado
Screengrab from María Corina Machado's X account
White House officials are growing frustrated at Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Prize winner Maria Corina Machado for discussing a tentative date for elections in the country, saying it could undermine their work in Venezuela, according to a new report.
"None of this is 'Operation María Corina Machado.' It's 'Operation U.S. national security,' which is not tied to her in any way. She's a spoiler and she's working against U.S. national security goals," one White House adviser told Politico.
The person went on to accuse Machado of "undermining the president's policy success," including the release of political prisoners, and wanting to be the "sole star" of the Venezuelan opposition.
Machado's office rejected the notion, calling it "media noise" and saying the opposition is "closely aligned" with the Trump administration. "The interests of the United States administration and those of the Venezuelan people are the same: a Venezuela that is prosperous, secure, free, and democratic," the official added.
Machado said this week that new democratic elections in the country could be organized in less than a year if preparations begin promptly.
"We believe that a real transferring process with manual voting ... throughout the process could be done in nine to 10 months. But, well, that depends when you start," Machado said Tuesday in an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns.
Machado told the news outlet that she has not yet spoken with president Trump about that election timetable, even after meeting at the White House following Nicolás Maduro's capture in January.
Her proposed timeline contrasts with comments attributed to Energy Secretary Chris Wright last week, who, according to a Wall Street Journal report , told executives that Venezuela would hold elections in roughly 18 to 24 months. That longer horizon reflects a more gradual transition scenario under continued U.S. oversight.
A person close to the White House told Politico that 24 months is a "more realistic time frame but strategically, she shouldn't be opining on a time frame."
"As the President stated, there will be elections at the right time, but his top priority is to bring Venezuela back from the dead and rebuild the country," the White House added in a statement to Politico.
"When the country has recovered to the point where it can hold clean, transparent elections, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to choose their leader. We want a stable, prosperous, free, and friendly Venezuela, but this cannot happen overnight."
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Tags: Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado, White House