Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said the United States “fulfilled its promise” after President Donald Trump announced the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“Nicolas Maduro, starting today, faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations,” Machado wrote in a statement on X that was originally posted in Spanish. “Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to uphold the law.”
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Trump shared Saturday morning that the United States carried out a military operation in Venezuela, aimed at ending Maduro’s regime.
Machado said the opposition is ready to assume power. While she did not provide specifics, she told Venezuelans to prepare to “be ready.”
“Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28th. Those of use who elected Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it,” she wrote.
“Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the democratic transition is realized. A transition that needs ALL of us,” she added.
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Machado said the time has come for “popular sovereignty” and “national sovereignty” to govern Venezuela.
“We will restore order, free the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, and bring our children back home,” she wrote. “We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this year for her efforts against Maduro, but dedicated the award to Trump for being pivotal in the fight for Venezuelan democracy.
“This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom. We are on the threshold of victory, and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy,” Machado said in a statement on X in October.
Trump was asked on Fox and Friends on Saturday morning if he would recognize Machado as the new president of Venezuela. The president did not provide a clear answer, but said “we’re going to have to look at it.”
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“Right now, they have a vice president, as you know. I don’t know what kind of election that was, but, you know, the election of Maduro was a disgrace,” Trump said.
Trump announced at a press conference that the U.S. will temporarily “run” Venezuela until a leadership transition takes place.