Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who is currently abroad, thanked President Donald Trump on Monday for the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
She vowed her country would become the United States' "main ally" in matters of "security, energy, democracy, and human rights."
Machado posted on X in response to demonstrations by Venezuelans around the world after the U.S. military operation that resulted in Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, being captured early Saturday and transported to the United States to face federal charges.
Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty Monday at their initial court appearances in New York.
Prosecutors have charged Maduro with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses, including possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
Flores faces charges related to cocaine-importation conspiracy and weapons offenses, according to the indictment.
"The brave people of Venezuela took to the streets in 30 countries and 130 cities around the world to celebrate a huge step that marks the inevitability and imminence of the transition in Venezuela," Machado wrote. "We Venezuelans thank President Donald Trump (@POTUS) and his administration for their firmness and determination in upholding the law.
"Venezuela will be the main ally of the United States in matters of security, energy, democracy, and human rights.
"The freedom of Venezuela is near, and soon we will celebrate on our land. We will shout, pray, and embrace as a family, because our children will return home."
Machado spent much of the past two years in hiding in Venezuela to avoid arrest by Maduro's regime.
In December, she secretly left the country, with reported U.S. assistance, to attend events in Oslo tied to her 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She arrived after the ceremony and said she intended to return soon, emphasizing she would be "wherever I am most useful" for Venezuela's democratic cause.
After Maduro's capture, Machado issued statements calling for a political transition and for opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez to assume the presidency.
Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has been accused by Venezuelans and many in the international community of having stolen the 2019 election that kept him in power.
The U.S. and other countries have refused to recognize him as Venezuela's legitimate leader after that election, or the July 2024 election that he again purported to have won.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez currently claims control of the government. Trump warned Sunday that Rodríguez could face consequences "bigger" than Maduro's if she does not comply with U.S. demands.
Trump said Saturday that the U.S. has not been in contact with Machado and questioned her viability as a national leader.
He said it would be "very tough for her" because she lacks "the support" and "respect within the country," though he described her as "a very nice woman."
Newsmax has contacted the White House and the State Department for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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