Venezuela’s Machado Says No Contact With Trump Since October
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate departed Venezuela last month to go to Norway for the award ceremony and has not gone back since.
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado said on Monday (January 5, 2026) that she has not spoken to U.S. President Donald Trump since October 2025. “Actually, I spoke to President Trump on October 10, the same day the (Nobel Peace) Prize was announced, (but) not since then,” Ms. Machado told Fox News’ “Hannity” program.
She was awarded the prize for her fight against what the Norwegian Nobel Committee called a dictatorship.
Ms. Machado—who is now widely seen as the most credible opponent of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—left Venezuela for Norway last month to accept the award and has not returned since.
“I’m planning to go back home as soon as possible,” she told Fox News when asked about her plans to return to Venezuela.
This was Ms. Machado’s first interview since the US invaded Venezuela on Saturday and captured its president.
Expressed approval of the U.S. move
He welcomed the U.S. action, calling it “a great step for humanity, freedom, and human dignity.”
Venezuelan Vice President and Oil Minister Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as interim president on Monday, but Washington’s move over the weekend has led many to speculate about the future leadership of the South American country.
Mr. Trump, on Saturday, dismissed the idea of working with Ms. Machado, saying that she “has neither support nor respect in the country.”
