‘The Venezuelan People Share My Position Heartfully’

Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado explained why she dedicated her award to both the Venezuelan people and President Donald Trump.

“I think he deserves it, I think it’s fair,” explained Machado to journalist Bari Weiss in a podcast interview. “He’s the main supporter in this fight against this narcoterrorist cartel,” she said, referring to Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian regime. Machado then explained her position further:

“And also because we’ve seen in these last months impressive results in terms of conflicts that were stopped or solved. As we speak, we see what’s going on in the conflict in Gaza, which goes beyond Gaza and will impact all the Middle East. I think these are incredible achievements and I think it is fair”

She then alluded to those who question the fact that she dedicates the prize to Trump saying that, while she understands them, she believes that “Venezuelan people share my position heartfully.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, Machado expressed full support for Trump’s anti-narcotics operations targeting Maduro’s regime, branding him as the head of a “narco-terrorist cartel” that has hijacked Venezuela’s institutions. Machado insisted, however, that her stance does not amount to calls for regime change, arguing that the Venezuelan people already mandated a change through the opposition’s victory in the contested 2024 election:

“This is not about an international movement to remove a legitimate president. This is not the case. Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela. He is the head of a narco-terrorist cartel. That is true. And that is killing not only Venezuelan people, but also American people and people from other countries intentionally”

Machado also claimed that the cartel’s influence in Venezuela is all-encompassing: “the institutions, the resources, ports, airports, the military … it’s all under the control and power of the cartel.” She added that the United States approach aligns with her view, since these systems depend on revenue from drug trafficking, gold smuggling, and other illicit activities.

When asked whether Maduro would eventually leave power under pressure, she said she had “no doubt” he would, citing fragmentation within the regime.

The interview comes as Machado remains in hiding after more than a year, having been barred from running for office and facing death threats. The 2025 Nobel Committee cited her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”

Machado’s comments on Trump in the aftermath of the award have garnered criticism across the political spectrum. 1980 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel published an open letter on Monday, slamming her for openly calling for foreign intervention in Venezuela:

“I’m concerned that you didn’t dedicate the Nobel to your people, but instead to Venezuela’s aggressor (Trump). I think, Corina, that you need to reflect and understand where you stand — whether you’ve become another instrument of U.S. colonialism, subjected to its interests of domination, which can never serve the good of your people. As an opponent of Maduro’s government, your positions and choices create great uncertainty; you turn to the worst option when you call for the United States to invade Venezuela”