Why Trump Reportedly Threw A Major Curveball Into Venezuela Regime Change
President Donald Trump has several reasons for not supporting opposition leader María Corina Machado, The New York Times reported, including tensions that have developed between her and Trump administration officials.
After his administration successfully carried out a raid and captured the president of Venezuela, Trump gave a press conference on Saturday, announcing that the United States would not support Machado. The decision was based on several factors, including CIA intelligence, pushed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Machado’s deteriorating relationship with administration officials, sources told the Times. (RELATED: How Trump Went From Campaigning Against War to Kidnapping Nicolas Maduro)
“I think it would be very difficult for her to be leader,” Trump said at the time. “She doesn’t have the support or respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”
TOPSHOT – (L/R) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio watches as U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the press following U.S. military actions in Venezuela, at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, January 3, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Top officials, including Rubio, opposed U.S. support for Machado after Maduro’s capture, the Times reported. Rubio reportedly told the president that supporting the opposition could lead to further destabilization and require a more robust military presence in Venezuela.
In the months before the raid, U.S. officials had become frustrated with Machado, believing she was providing inaccurate information about Maduro’s strength, sources told the Times. Officials were also skeptical about his ability to take power afterward.
Trump envoy Ric Grenell also experienced friction with Machado, according to the Times. After Trump took office, Grenell visited Machado in Washington DC. During a subsequent trip to Caracas, he attempted to arrange a face-to-face meeting with the opposition leader and requested a list of political prisoners she wished to release.
However, Machado refused to meet him in person and they spoke on the phone instead.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policies.) U.S. President Donald Trump and (from left) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, January 3, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Molly Riley/The White House via Getty Images)
Following the phone call, the relationship deteriorated further after Machado failed to provide a concrete plan for a replacement candidate, Edmundo González, to run for office after she was blocked from doing so, according to the Times. Machado was angry with Grenell because he had not “forcefully denounced Mr. Maduro as illegitimate,” the Times reported. Grenell reportedly told his colleagues that this would “harm his diplomatic action.”
Machado appeared on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News on Monday to discuss the latest action in Venezuela.
“I want to say today, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for [Trump’s] courageous vision, the historic actions he took against this narco-terrorist regime,” Machado told the Fox News host.
Machado, the most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, then responded to Trump’s desire for the prize.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” Machado responded, after being asked if she had offered to present her award to Trump. “But I would certainly like to be able to tell him personally that we believe – the Venezuelan people, because it is a prize of the Venezuelan people – that we certainly want to give it to him and share it with him.”
