On Saturday, President Trump delivered nearly an hour-long address explaining his decision to launch an operation to apprehend Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and transport him to New York to stand trial for drug trafficking. He stated his goals were to terminate the Venezuelan government’s collaboration with drug cartels and enable American firms to seize control of Venezuela’s extensive oil reserves.

One term he failed to mention: democracy.

For over ten years, Venezuela has been under dictatorial rule. Dissent and free expression are brutally crushed, while the judiciary and legislature lack independence. After Maduro lost the presidential election in 2024, he rejected the outcome and clung to power. The legitimately elected president, Edmundo González Urrutia, has remained in exile in Spain ever since. María Corina Machado, González’s ally and opposition leader, was prohibited from challenging Maduro in that election and stayed in hiding within Venezuela until last month. At that point, Machado fled her homeland for Oslo to accept a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, which she dedicated to Trump while endorsing his attacks on suspected Venezuelan drug vessels. Despite these gestures, Trump remained unconvinced that Machado should be recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.

When questioned on Saturday about whether Machado could govern the country following Maduro’s removal, Trump created distance from Venezuela’s most prominent democratic leader, stating it would be ‘extremely difficult’ for her. ‘She’s a very pleasant woman, but she lacks the necessary respect within the nation,’ Trump remarked.

According to Mark Montgomery, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Trump likely revealed his true sentiments regarding Machado. ‘If subjected to a lie detector test, he probably isn’t a strong supporter because she essentially stole his Nobel Prize,’ Montgomery commented.

Machado is a qualified industrial engineer who won a seat in Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2010 and emerged as a vocal critic of governmental power abuses, successfully uniting the country’s divided opposition. In recent months, Machado and her opposition allies have made extensive efforts to prepare to govern the nation, presenting a comprehensive plan to reinstate fundamental freedoms, revive the private sector, and terminate the government’s collaboration with illicit drug traffickers. For the time being, Trump has dismissed that plan.

‘This represents a huge strategic and ethical error,’ commented Ian Vásquez, a Latin America specialist at the Cato Institute, regarding Trump’s decision to distance himself from Machado. Vásquez added that claiming Machado lacks support within Venezuela is ‘demonstrably false.’

Rather than demanding that the democratically elected opposition be installed as Maduro’s replacement, Trump’s administration is currently attempting to collaborate with Maduro’s deputy, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, compelling her to obey Trump’s directives through threats of military action. In his Saturday address, Trump stated that Rodríguez ‘truly has no alternative’ and ‘is fundamentally prepared to do whatever it takes to make Venezuela great again.’ However, within hours, Rodríguez called for Maduro’s immediate release and declared that her government stands ‘ready to defend Venezuela,’ which will ‘never again’ serve as a ‘colony’ of any empire. On Sunday morning, Trump issued a warning to Rodríguez, declaring, ‘if she fails to do what’s right, she will face severe consequences, likely even harsher than those faced by Maduro.’

The fate of Venezuela continues to hang in the balance. Trump might still choose to support Venezuela’s opposition, especially if the current government refuses to yield to his threats. He could employ American influence to insist that Venezuelan officials transfer authority to a democratically elected administration. Additionally, Trump may have another consideration in mind later this month: the Nobel Committee. The upcoming Nobel Peace Prize will honor actions taken during the previous year before January 31. ‘If Trump were intelligent and genuinely determined to win the Nobel Prize,’ Montgomery suggested, ‘he would vigorously advocate for the establishment of democracy in Venezuela—the installation of the legitimately elected opposition within the coming month.’

On NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Machado as ‘terrific,’ mentioning he has known her for an ‘extremely long period.’ However, Rubio added, ‘we must confront the immediate reality. The harsh truth is that, regrettably, the overwhelming majority of opposition figures are no longer physically present within Venezuela.’

Rather than installing the democratically elected opposition, the Trump administration is insisting that the current leadership restructure the nation’s relationships with Cuba, Iran, Russia, and narcotics traffickers. When questioned about when Trump would advocate for elections in Venezuela, Rubio indicated that this was not the primary concern. ‘The initial objectives are to protect United States interests—which concurrently serve the Venezuelan people—eliminating drug trafficking, removing Iran/Hezbollah’s presence, and stopping the exploitation of the oil industry to fund our global adversaries,’ Rubio explained.