Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday — and in a highly unusual move, handed him her framed Nobel Peace Prize, thanking him for what she called his “decisive action” to secure a free Venezuela.
The gesture came after months of Machado courting Trump, and after he sidelined her from decisions about Venezuela’s transition.
Back in Caracas, many Venezuelans are watching with a mix of unease — and cautious trust that this strategy could still lead to a freer Venezuela.
For years, Machado has been the clearest symbol of Venezuela’s democratic opposition — a leader who energized a battered movement and made many Venezuelans believe politics could still matter.
“I think María Corina Machado was a great leader in 2024,” said Alejandra Otero, a young journalist in Caracas. “She gave people hope again, because Venezuelans had totally lost that hope before.”
Otero said that Machado did something the opposition hadn’t managed in years: She convinced people that their votes could bring change, even in a system they did not trust.
“She united the country around the vote. It was a really beautiful moment in our democratic history,” Otero said.
Otero didn’t just vote — she was a poll worker. “I counted the votes one by one,” she recalled. “It was one of the most important things I’ve ever experienced in this country. It was beautiful … and then we got the shocking news that we had almost expected — that Maduro didn’t recognize the result, and that the election had been stolen.”
Machado had organized civil society to defend the vote, collecting and publishing tallies that appeared to show the opposition’s victory.
“Hundreds of thousands of people had been organized to gather the receipts, [digitize] them and publish them online, so everyone could see the fraud. The government lost, and we had the proof,” Otero said.
That work was a major reason Machado later won the Nobel Peace Prize.
But over the past year, her strategy has become more controversial.
She worked hard to win Trump’s favor, backing his push for military action and remaining silent after US strikes in the Caribbean killed more than 100 people. She echoed Trump’s claims about drug trafficking from Venezuela and avoided criticizing US immigration policies affecting Venezuelans.
She also proposed sharing her Nobel Prize with Trump — a move the Nobel Institute quickly said was not allowed.
“I don’t like her tone toward Donald Trump,” Otero said. “We shouldn’t look for another savior for our democracy. And I really hate that she offered him the Nobel Prize and her medal. It [makes] me cringe.”
Otero is also troubled because Machado hasn’t talked much about the people killed in US attacks. “We’re talking about human lives, people’s homes, families. Even if they were military personnel, they are humans,” she said. About 100 people died, largely military officers, according to the Venezuelan government.
Most Venezuelans do not welcome the idea of foreign military intervention. But many say they felt they had run out of options.
Adrián Bartos, a photographer and filmmaker in Caracas, said Venezuelans tried everything — protests, elections, negotiations, appeals to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court — and every path was blocked. “This felt like the last battle we had left,” he said.
Bartos believes Machado deserves credit for pushing that fight to the very end — even at the cost of her own image.
A doctor in Caracas who supports Machado said he understands why the Trump administration has sidelined her for now. “He’s avoiding a situation of chaos and violence in Venezuela, because she does not have the backing of Venezuela’s armed forces and other institutions.”
But others said she should come back soon.
A taxi driver, who asked not to be named, said Machado was absent when people felt most exposed — first in hiding, then in exile. He said he wanted to hear her speak directly to Venezuelans after Trump sidelined her, not to American journalists in English.
Now that Trump is working with Maduro’s former allies — especially Acting President Delcy Rodríguez — many Venezuelans are not celebrating.
“I don’t want more bombing,” said Marta Marín, a resident of Caracas. “I want a real democratic transition now that Maduro is gone.”
Trump has publicly praised Rodríguez, calling her “terrific” and saying his administration is “getting along extremely well” with those now running Venezuela. Marín fears democracy will not be his priority.
Still, most people interviewed in Caracas say the country is in a better position than before the US operation. Even some government supporters say they want free and fair elections.
A recent Economist poll found that 80% of the 600 Venezuelan respondents believe Trump offers a better future for the country, and that Machado remains the most popular leader, by far.
Otero remains wary. “I don’t trust Trump at all. He doesn’t respect institutions,” she said. “But it’s like choosing between bad and worse — if he’s the lesser evil, we’ll deal with the rest later.”
How María Corina Machado will fit into Venezuela’s future remains unclear. But many Venezuelans still see her as a symbol of their democratic hopes — someone determined, controversial and deeply committed to a free Venezuela, by any means.
The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World. Can we count on you?