Machado Says Venezuela Return Near as Ties With Trump Fray

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said her return to Venezuela would come "sooner than you think," as her ties with the Trump administration have frayed. The comment was reported on Oct. 15, 2026. New York Times

The remark followed months of shifting signals between Machado and Washington. In January, she met President Donald Trump at the White House and presented her medal to him. After that meeting, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Machado had been "extremely cooperative" and agreed to share Venezuela's oil with the United States. New York Times

In early January, Machado said she had not spoken to Trump since October 2025. In March, she told Reuters that early interest in Venezuela's oil sector was positive but called for more transparency. By late July, U.S.-backed talks on Venezuela were set to begin without her. Reuters

Oil has been central to the dispute. Machado had previously floated the idea of privatizing Venezuela's oil sector, meaning selling state-owned oil assets to private companies. In late August, the White House said Trump had secured U.S. majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in Venezuela. White House

In early September, the administration announced a three-phase plan for Venezuela covering stability, economic recovery and reconciliation. Reporting on the deal said it gives the Pentagon a 35% ownership stake in the private company being created to handle the arrangement. House Democrats later said the administration had decided to route Venezuela oil revenues into an offshore account in Qatar. NBC News

Machado has said that for democracy to be fully restored in Venezuela, free and transparent elections must be held as soon as possible. In a May interview, she estimated that an election could occur in as soon as 40 weeks.