Nobel laureate Machado toes Trump’s line on Venezuela, says Maduro ‘is not the legitimate leader…’

Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her tireless fight for democracy in Venezuela, called President Trump’s strategy against Nicolás Maduro’s “narco-terrorist structure” necessary to protect Venezuelans and regional stability. In a powerful interview, Machado described how Venezuela has become a hub for Russian, Chinese, and Iranian operations—hosting armed drones, laundering for terrorist groups, and granting passports for extremist movements. She pledged that a transition to democracy would transform Venezuela into a US ally and regional security force, opening the economy to over $1.7 trillion in foreign investment and launching privatizations across oil, mining, and infrastructure. Machado also linked Venezuela’s liberation to freedom for Cuba and Nicaragua, calling her movement a historic threat to autocracy and narco-terrorism across the Americas.