The world — well, the decent parts of it anyway — is celebrating the capture of Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, but no one is celebrating more than the woman who has dedicated decades of her life to fighting for freedom for her home country of Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado.
If Joe Biden hadn’t gotten involved and played nice with Maduro, there’s a decent chance Machado would be Venezuela’s president right now, and none of this would be happening, but instead, she had to settle for winning a Nobel Peace Prize for all of her hard work over the years. If you’ll recall, one of the first things she did when she won was dedicate it to Donald Trump because she knew he was on her side — all of our sides — and would be the man who would break the hold of socialism and dictatorships on the Western Hemisphere.
Related: Biden’s Venezuelan Disaster
That day has finally come. Thanks to a final push from President Trump, Machado gets to see the fruits of her labor.
“The hour of freedom has arrived,” she said on Saturday, announcing that the “the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law.”
Here’s her complete statement, translated from Spanish:
Nicolás Maduro, starting today, faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and citizens of many other nations. Given his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the United States government has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law.
The time has come for Popular Sovereignty and National Sovereignty to reign in our country. We will restore order, free political prisoners, build an exceptional nation, and bring our children home. We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.
This is the time for the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on July 28th. Those of us who elected Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate President of Venezuela, who must immediately assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces by all the officers and soldiers who comprise it.
Today we are prepared to assert our mandate and take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the Democratic Transition is realized. A transition that needs ALL of us.
To Venezuelans within our country, be ready to implement what we will soon communicate to you through our official channels. To Venezuelans abroad, we need you mobilized, activating the governments and citizens of the world and engaging them now in the great operation of building the new Venezuela. In these decisive hours, receive all my strength, my confidence, and my affection. We remain alert and in contact.
VENEZUELA WILL BE FREE! We go hand in hand with God, until the end. Maria Corina Machado, January 3, 2026
Just to recap who she is, because I know a lot of people are just now paying attention, and I know a lot of “reporters” will get it wrong (I’m already seeing it)…
Machado, a former engineer, was on track to become Venezuela’s president. I believe she won the opposition primary with something like 90% of the vote. Maduro banned her from running, so she threw all of her support behind Edmundo González Urrutia and encouraged her followers to do the same. In July 2024, when election time came, despite Maduro’s attempts to prevent people from voting for González, he won the election. Every independent and international organization involved said so. Even the Biden administration was smart enough to do so.
The votes were never fully tallied; they stopped counting around 80% when González was in the lead by nearly 70% of the vote. Maduro put an end to it and basically declared himself the slight winner, even though he’s never been popular there.
While we don’t know exactly what Trump has planned for Venezuela, my prediction is that González — with Machado as vice president or his right-hand woman/architect — will soon take his rightful place as president. That’s what the people voted for, and that’s what’s best for both our countries and every single nation in between us. I know González and Machado already have a transition plan in place, and this is what many members of Trump’s cabinet want.
Help us report the stories the MSM won’t tell you by becoming a PJ Media VIP member. Right now, memberships are 60% off or less than $20 for the entire year. In addition to supporting us, you gain access to exclusive stories and podcasts, the comments section where you can interact with our team and other readers, an ad-free experience, and much more. Click here to get started. We can’t wait to have you.
