Nobel Peace Prize recipient and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado hailed President Donald Trump’s effort to extract and arrest the country’s de facto but illegitimate leader, Nicolas Maduro.
On her X account on January 3rd, Machado posted, “Venezuelans, the hour of freedom has arrived.” On Monday, Machado appeared on Hannity on Fox News. She said that January 3, 2026, is a day that will be remembered forever in Venezuela as the day tyranny was defeated.
While speaking to Hannity, Machado was quite complimentary to Trump, praising him for his efforts to oust Maduro and bring him “to justice.”
“I do want to say today, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for his courageous vision, the actions, historical actions he has taken against this narco-terrorist regime to start dismantling this structure and bringing Maduro to justice, which means that 30 million Venezuelans are now closer to freedom, but also that the United States of America is a safer country nowadays,” Machado said.
Machado’s words on Monday echo her sentiments from October after it was announced she was the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. She dedicated her award then to Trump because she felt he deserved it. Machado said she plans to repeat the dedication at some point in the future, especially because of his role in ousting Maduro.
“I dedicated it to President Trump because I believed at that point that he deserved it,” Machado said. “A lot of people, most people, said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday, January 3.”
“So, if I believe he deserved it in October, imagine now,” she added. “I think he has proven to the world what he means.”
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She also emphasized the importance of removing Maduro and the significance that January 3rd will have in Venezuela. She called it a move that should not only be honored by the people of Venezuela but all people, everywhere, and that it was a “huge step for humanity.”
“January 3rd will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny,” said Machado. “It’s a milestone, and it’s not only huge for the Venezuelan people and our future, I think it’s a huge step for humanity, for freedom, and human dignity.”
