Venezuelan Opposition Leader is Confident About Return of Democracy but Says Little of Her Plans

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 15: Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado greets Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, right, before a meeting in the U.S. Capitol office of Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., on Thursday, January 15, 2026. Also appearing in the background are, from left, Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Rick Scott, R-Fla., Chris Coons, D-Del., John Curtis, R-Utah, Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado says she’s confident of her country’s eventual transition to democracy after the U.S. military ousted former President Nicolás Maduro. But when pressed, she took pains to avoid giving details on her plans to return home or any timetable for elections in Venezuela. Her remarks on Friday reflect how President Donald Trump’s endorsement of a Maduro loyalist to lead Venezuela for now has frozen out the nation’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning crusader for democracy. Still, Machado has looked to get closer to Trump, presenting her Nobel medal to him a day earlier at the White House.