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Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has alluded to being open to the US exerting military pressure (and possibly even intervention) to help oust Nicolás Maduro.
Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, María Corina Machado is a prominent Venezuelan opposition leader who recently rose to global prominence after being awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Barred from running in Venezuela’s presidential election and targeted by the Maduro regime, she spent over a year in hiding to avoid arrest. She recently escaped Venezuela with the help of a US-based rescue group. Disguised with a wig, she fled her Caracas hideout to a coastal fishing village, where she boarded a skiff for a dangerous journey across the Caribbean Sea to Curaçao. At one point, her boat lost GPS navigation, leaving her and the crew drifting in waters as the US military was reportedly alerted to avoid mistaking them for drug smugglers. After hours at sea, she was rescued and flown to Norway to receive the Nobel Prize.
What’s going on now: During an interview with CBS, Machado made it clear she’s open to the idea of US military pressure, and possibly intervention, to help force Nicolás Maduro from power. “I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over,” she told Face the Nation. While she stopped short of outright endorsing a full-scale intervention, Machado was clear in stating that Venezuela’s situation isn’t comparable to other international conflicts. “This is not conventional regime change. This cannot be compared to other cases, like countries in the Middle East,” she said. “We had an election. Regime change was already mandated by over 70% of the population, and what we need is support to enforce that decision.”
When questioned about how that position aligns with being the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Machado responded without hesitation: “In order to maintain freedom and to achieve freedom, you do need strength.” She framed her argument around the concept that force, when used to defend democratic outcomes, can be part of a peaceful struggle. “What we’re fighting for is precisely freedom in order to have democracy, and democracy in order to have peace,” she added.
Machado’s comments come as President Trump has escalated military operations in the Caribbean, with Trump himself now threatening land-based military action inside Venezuela. Trump has said this would be necessary to combat narcotics trafficking and support democratic stability in the region.
