Private U.S. team exfiltrates Maria Corina Machado
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado — who had been in hiding since Jan. 9 — reappeared in Oslo after 11 months as her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, publicly crediting President Donald Trump’s recent actions (including the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker and new sanctions) for weakening Nicolás Maduro’s regime and dedicating the prize to him. Machado said she will return to Venezuela when security conditions permit, urged democratic nations to cut illicit revenue streams that fund repression, welcomed increased U.S. pressure including the prospect of military action, and met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who offered support for building new democratic institutions.
📌 Key Facts
- María Corina Machado reappeared publicly in Oslo after 11 months in hiding; her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf and Machado greeted supporters from a hotel balcony during Nobel events.
- She has been in hiding since Jan. 9 after a brief detention during a Caracas protest.
- Machado publicly credited President Donald Trump for weakening Nicolás Maduro’s regime and sustaining Venezuela’s pro‑democracy movement, calling recent U.S. actions — including an oil‑tanker seizure — "decisive," and an official said she hopes to visit the U.S. to meet and formally honor Trump.
- She said she will return to Venezuela when security conditions are right and urged democratic nations to cut off illicit revenue streams that fund repression.
- In interviews she welcomed increasing U.S. pressure, including the prospect of military action to force Maduro from power, while saying she has no details on threatened U.S. land strikes and will not involve herself in another nation’s national security decisions.
- Machado framed Venezuela’s situation as distinct from other regime‑change cases, saying over 70% of Venezuelans already mandated change via an election and asking for international support to enforce that decision.
- Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met Machado in Oslo and said Norway is ready to support a democratic Venezuela in building new institutions.
- Coverage notes recent U.S. measures related to Venezuela, including sanctions on Maduro’s nephews and a DOJ‑led seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela.
📊 Relevant Data
Venezuela's GDP shrank by more than 70 percent from 2014 to 2024.
Venezuela explained in 10 maps and charts — Al Jazeera
According to a 2023 survey, around 82.4 percent of households in Venezuela live in poverty conditions and around 50.5 percent in extreme poverty.
Poverty and inequality in Venezuela - statistics & facts — Statista
As of 2024, approximately 545,200 Venezuelan migrants are residing in the United States.
How the U.S. should prepare for another Venezuelan migration wave — Niskanen Center
Available data suggests Venezuela is not a primary source for U.S.-bound cocaine or other drugs.
Trump says Venezuela traffics lethal drugs into US. Experts disagree. — USA Today
In Latin America, including Venezuela, Black and Indigenous groups have lower mean years of schooling compared to mestizos and Whites, with lighter skin tones associated with higher educational attainment.
Racial inequality in Latin America — Oxford Academic
📰 Sources (4)
- Machado tells CBS’s Face the Nation she welcomes increasing U.S. pressure, including the prospect of military action, to force Maduro from power.
- She frames Venezuela’s situation as distinct from other regime changes, claiming over 70% of Venezuelans already mandated change via an election and asking for support to enforce that decision.
- She says she has no details on President Trump’s threatened land strikes and will not involve herself in another nation’s national security decisions.
- Context in the piece notes fresh U.S. pressure this week: sanctions on Maduro’s nephews and the DOJ-led seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker near Venezuela.
- Machado publicly credits President Trump for sustaining Venezuela’s pro‑democracy movement and says she dedicates her Nobel Peace Prize to him, per direct quotes to Fox News Digital.
- An unnamed official says Machado hopes to visit the U.S. to meet Trump and formally honor him for his support.
- Reiterates her reemergence in Oslo after 11 months in hiding, aligning with AP’s report that she greeted supporters from a hotel balcony during Nobel events.
- María Corina Machado made her first public appearance in 11 months in Oslo after her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.
- She credited President Donald Trump’s recent actions, including an oil-tanker seizure, as 'decisive' in weakening Maduro’s regime.
- Machado said she will return to Venezuela when security conditions are right and called on democratic nations to cut off illicit revenue streams that fund repression.
- She met Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who said Norway is ready to support a democratic Venezuela in building new institutions.
- Machado has been in hiding since Jan. 9 after a brief detention during a Caracas protest.