Is Venezuela's Nobel-winning Maria Machado the big loser in Trump's move?

When it comes to Donald Trump’s moves on Venezuela, María Corina Machado is the biggest political loser.

Machado, who is widely considered the most high-profile Opposition leader in Venezuela and a critic of Maduro, has been left out of the loop by the US government. Though Trump has said the United States will run Venezuela, Washington has no troops on the ground.

Meanwhile, the Maduro loyalists remain in charge of the country and the streets are being patrolled by the Venezuelan security forces. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has taken over as acting president after an order from the country’s Supreme Court.

But where is Machado? Why is she the big political loser in Trump’s move?

Where is she?

Machado’s location remains unknown. She travelled to Norway’s Oslo to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She arrived in the city on December 10, just hours after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Machado, who had been in hiding in Venezuela for over a year, was evacuated from the country by US Special Forces veteran Bryan Stern, the founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation. Machado, who had been banned from leaving the country by Maduro, initially travelled to a fishing village on the coast of Venezuela. She met up with Stern in the Caribbean, from where they travelled to a Caribbean island, reportedly Curaçao. It was from here that she travelled to Europe.

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Authorities have suggested that she has left Norway and gone to another undisclosed country for medical treatment after sustaining injuries during her escape from Venezuela.

Why she is the big political loser

Because Machado had spent the past year supporting Trump and his policies, calling him a “champion of freedom”.

Asked about a potential invasion of Venezuela by the Trump administration, Machado told Sky News: “Look, some people talk about invasion in Venezuela and the threat of an invasion in Venezuela, and I answered that Venezuela has already been invaded. We have Russian agents, we have Iranian agents. We have terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas operating freely in accordance with the regime.”

“We have the Colombian guerrilla, the drug cartels that have taken over 60% of our population, and are not only involved in drug trafficking but in human trafficking and networks of prostitution. This has turned Venezuela into the criminal hub of the Americas.”

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She had also referred to the government of Maduro as a “narco-terrorist cartel” – echoing the Trump administration’s line about the regime.

Machado appeared to celebrate the events unfolding on Saturday. “Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and seize power,” Machado wrote on X.

She said that Maduro is facing “international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations”.

“Faced with his refusal to accept a negotiated exit, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law,” she wrote. “We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”

Trump dismisses Machado

However, just two hours later, Trump dismissed any possibility of working with Machado, saying they had not spoken and that she does not command respect.

Roughly two hours later, Trump said they had not spoken. It would be “very tough” for Machado to take control of her country, Trump said, adding in his televised speech that she was a “very nice woman” but “doesn’t have the support” in Venezuela to lead. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he added.

A person close to Machado said Trump’s remarks left her stunned and saddened. The Washington Post has reported that Trump decided not to support Machado because she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize – an honour he has long coveted since it was awarded to his predecessor Barack Obama.

“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one White House official told the newspaper. The official referred to Machado’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize as the “ultimate sin”. Interestingly, Machado later dedicated the Nobel Peace Prize to Trump.

Machado has called on Venezuelans to support Edmundo González, who stood in for her during the 2024 presidential election and was widely viewed as the legitimate winner of the polls. “Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active and organised until the democratic transition is finalised. A transition that needs ALL of us.”

However, González has since fled to Spain. While Trump has said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth would be running Venezuela, it remains unclear how they would gain control of the country. While Trump has said he is open to sending US troops to Caracas, this could prove exceedingly unpopular with his base. It seems likely that the Trump administration is now set to work with Maduro insiders.

“In every transition, you have to swallow some bitter pills,” the person added to the newspaper. However, there are reports that some people close to Machado continue to hope that the Trump administration will include her and other Opposition leaders within the transition.

With inputs from agencies