How Trump Settled on a Maduro Ally as Venezuela’s New Head
Ms. Machado, a conservative ex-member of the National Assembly hailing from a wealthy Venezuelan lineage, has deep-rooted connections to Washington spanning decades. Over the past year, she has been actively seeking Mr. Trump’s backing and attempting to secure his assistance in removing Mr. Maduro from power. She has openly endorsed his military initiatives in the Caribbean while largely avoiding comments regarding his stance on Venezuelan migrants. On Saturday, following Mr. Trump’s declaration that the U.S. military had detained Mr. Maduro, she issued a statement expressing her readiness to take charge. “Today we are equipped to assert our mandate and seize control,” she conveyed in a post on X. However, about two hours later, Mr. Trump stated that they had not had a conversation. He remarked that it would be “very tough” for Ms. Machado to gain control of her country, noting in his televised address that she is a “very nice woman” but “doesn’t have the support” within Venezuela to lead. A spokesperson for Ms. Machado did not provide a comment. “For Trump, democracy is not a priority — it revolves around money, power, and safeguarding the homeland from drugs and criminals,” remarked Michael Shifter, a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank based in Washington. During his national address, Mr. Trump also did not reference Edmundo González, the retired diplomat who took on the role of Ms. Machado’s political representative after she was prohibited from running. Mr. González, currently in self-imposed exile in Spain, is seen as the rightful victor, by a significant margin, of the 2024 election, even though Venezuelan officials declared Mr. Maduro the winner. Eric Schmitt contributed reporting from Washington, along with María Victoria Fermín, Mariana Martínez, and Isayen Herrera from Caracas, Venezuela.
Published: 2026-01-04 06:07:00
source: www.nytimes.com
