Trump signals US role in Venezuela transition but stops short of backing Maria Corina Machado
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said that the United States is weighing its next steps in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, signaling continued US involvement in the country’s political future.
Trump said Washington does not want a new leader to simply continue Maduro’s policies. However, he stopped short of endorsing opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.
The comments come amid uncertainty over who will lead Venezuela after Maduro’s removal.
Trump signals continued US involvement in Venezuela
Trump indicated that the United States intended to play an active role in determining Venezuela’s future leadership after the capture of Maduro, who had ruled the country for more than a decade.
In comments to Fox News on Saturday, January 3, Trump said that the administration was in the process of deciding what comes next.
“Well, we’re making that decision now. We can’t take a chance of letting somebody else run it and just take over what he left off, so we’re making that decision now. We’ll be involved in it very much,” Trump said.
When asked directly whether he would back Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Trump declined to give a clear endorsement.
“Well, we’re going to have to look at it,” he said. Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, has been one of the most prominent critics of Maduro and a leading figure in Venezuela’s opposition movement.
She was barred from running for president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which was allegedly aligned with Maduro's government. Despite the ban, she remained a central figure in the opposition campaign.
Machado has not publicly commented on Maduro’s capture by US forces. However, in an interview last month, she praised Trump’s stance toward Venezuela.
“I am absolutely grateful to President Donald Trump for every gesture, every signal and every moment that he has stood with the Venezuelan people,” Machado said.
“I have watched it very closely, and I know what it has meant for those who are fighting to reclaim democracy and freedom in our country,” she stated.
Opposition leaders seen as potential transitional figures
Analysts and opposition supporters have pointed to Machado and former presidential candidate Edmundo González as possible leaders of a transitional government in Venezuela.
González, who ran in the 2024 election in Machado’s place, was recognized by the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate leader after he defeated Maduro by a more than two-to-one margin, according to US officials.
Despite the election result, Maduro remained in power until his recent capture.
For now, Venezuela’s government is being led by Executive Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a close ally of Maduro, under the country’s existing constitutional framework.
It remains unclear how long Rodríguez will remain in charge or what role, if any, she will play in a transition process.
The Trump administration has not outlined a formal plan for Venezuela’s political transition, and officials have not said whether the US will formally recognize a new interim government.
