Venezuelan Opposition Leader Declares Maduro Regime ‘Weaker Than Ever,’ Credits Trump’s Pressure
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado declared Thursday that Nicolás Maduro’s regime is “weaker than ever,” directly crediting President Donald Trump’s renewed pressure campaign for the shift in momentum.
Speaking to reporters in Norway after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado praised Trump’s decisive actions in recent weeks, which she says have significantly undermined Maduro’s grip on power. Her remarks came just one day after the U.S. seized an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coast, believed to be part of a covert operation transporting oil from sanctioned regimes in Venezuela and Iran.
“President Trump’s actions have been decisive to reach the point where we are right now, in which the regime is weaker than ever,” Machado said during her remarks. While she did not comment directly on the seizure, her message was clear: U.S. action, backed by Trump, is reshaping the balance of power in the region.
Machado, who has been living in exile since early this year, has emerged as a global symbol of resistance to socialism in Latin America. Her victory in the Nobel Peace Prize contest — narrowly edging out Trump — has sparked headlines worldwide. Still, the two have exchanged nothing but respect.
After winning the prestigious award, Machado dedicated it to Trump, citing his “decisive support of our cause.” She later reached out to him personally following the announcement. Trump confirmed the call and responded warmly.
“A very nice thing to do,” Trump said in October. “I didn’t say, ‘Then give it to me,’ though I think she might have. She was very nice.”
“I’ve been helping her along the way,” he added. “They need a lot of help in Venezuela. It’s a basic disaster.”
In January, after Machado was forced to flee Venezuela under threat of imprisonment, Trump publicly praised her efforts and stood by her side.
“She was peacefully expressing the voices and the WILL of the Venezuelan people,” Trump said at the time, referencing the massive demonstrations she led before her exile. “Hundreds of thousands of people standing up to tyranny — she represented their spirit.”
The Trump administration has ramped up sanctions and military operations aimed at isolating Maduro and dismantling his financial lifelines. Wednesday’s oil tanker seizure was the latest in a series of strategic blows targeting illegal oil trade routes used by Caracas and Tehran.
While international institutions and left-wing governments have often tread lightly with Maduro, Trump and Machado appear increasingly aligned — both rhetorically and strategically — in their mission to restore freedom to Venezuela.