Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado RETURNS To Venezuela, President Trump Responds

¡Este día lo vamos a recordar siempre!

Juntos alcanzaremos la Libertad.

pic.twitter.com/WTpT1LChYl

— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 26, 2026

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Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado has returned to Venezuela after ten months abroad, announcing her arrival in a social media post.

In a post on X, Machado declared: “I’m here, with you all.”

Machado made her first public appearance among worshippers at the Church of Santa Rosa in Lara state, western Venezuela, where she was quickly surrounded by an ecstatic congregation. She then travelled on to Caracas, where hundreds of cheering supporters swarmed her car. “Here” she tweeted, when she arrived in the capital.

Her return poses a challenge to interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who took over after U.S. forces captured former leader Nicolás Maduro in January.

The Trump administration has repeatedly sidelined Machado, despite her prominence in the opposition. She has called for elections to be held soon, but Washington says Venezuela must first stabilize.

In January 2025, Machado went into hiding in Venezuela after being briefly detained following a protest. Later that year, she left the country in a clandestine escape, and reappeared in December in Norway, where she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful challenge to Maduro’s authoritarian government.

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EN VENEZUELA!
JUNTOS!
POR LA LIBERTAD! pic.twitter.com/PeCRruhXSd

— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 25, 2026

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President Donald Trump, asked about Machado’s return by reporters in Port Huron, Michigan, said he was unaware of the development but expressed hope for her safety.

“I don’t know anything about it, but I think she’s a very nice woman,” Trump said. “She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else? And I hope she’s safe. She’s a very nice woman. But we’re doing really well in Venezuela.”

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President Trump on María Corina Machado returning to Venezuela: "I think she's a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel prize, so how can I say anything else?" pic.twitter.com/d0OYwjQn0q

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 25, 2026

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The conditions allowing for the safe return of Ms. Machado to Venezuela is the direct result of the U.S. supported reconciliation talks which has already seen hundreds of political prisoners freed and hundreds of political opposition figures return from exile.

The United States…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 25, 2026

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The conditions allowing for the safe return of Ms. Machado to Venezuela is the direct result of the U.S. supported reconciliation talks which has already seen hundreds of political prisoners freed and hundreds of political opposition figures return from exile.

The United States expects the freedoms of all sectors of Venezuelan politics to continue to be respected. Likewise, we expect all political actors to support these talks which represent the best chance Venezuela has had in thirty years to peacefully achieve not just a free and fair election but an enduring democracy.

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