After a closed-door meeting earlier this week with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado did not disclose details of their conversation.
Machado nonetheless described the encounter as a positive one.
“Thank you for your commitment to democracy, freedom, and the well‑being of Venezuelans ... The day is approaching when we will reunite our families in Venezuela! We are moving forward!” she wrote in a social-media message, posted alongside a photograph of the meeting.
The meeting came a day after the United States officially resumed operations at its embassy in Venezuela.
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The following day, the Trump administration removed Delcy Rodríguez, the acting leader of Venezuela, from its sanctions list Wednesday, another step toward normalising relations with the country since the US raid in January in which president Nicolás Maduro was captured.
It was a sign, if one were needed, that Machado does not currently feature in the Trump administration’s approach to Venezuela.
Rodríguez, a long‑standing insider in Maduro’s government, was appointed vice‑president shortly after he declared victory in the election. She and her brother, Jorge, were subsequently hit by a wave of sanctions as US officials accused them and others of undermining democracy in Venezuela.
Now in office, Rodríguez has moved rapidly to liberalise the economy and reopen the country to US investment, while leaving the repressive apparatus of Maduro’s government largely intact and ceding little political power in the authoritarian state.
Trump has repeatedly praised her and has given no indication that he would support Machado – nor opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia – for a leadership role, or back the holding of elections.
González Urrutia rose to prominence during Venezuela’s presidential election on July 28th, 2024, when he replaced Machado as the opposition candidate after electoral authorities barred her from running. Following the vote, opposition observers compiled what they said was evidence of electoral fraud – a claim supported by international organisations.
Both Machado and González Urrutia are now outside Venezuela and have limited influence over decisions shaping a possible political transition, a process that so far has not included a timetable for new elections or meaningful changes to electoral authorities.
According to Venezuelan sociologist Francisco Coello, excluding Machado from negotiations is a mistake because “the most legitimate leadership the country has is hers”, and a “consistent and widely accepted leadership is needed” for rebuilding the country.
Beyond the figures of Machado and González Urrutia, analysts say any transition process would need to include a broader cross‑section of Venezuelan society. “That leadership must go hand in hand with the broadest possible range of sectors of the population; that is, it must be a leadership that is open to labour unions, business leaders, the student movement, universities and other sectors of Venezuelan society,” Coello says.
Recent street protests over wages, social conditions and the release of political prisoners have largely erupted spontaneously, without a direct call from Machado.
Her party, Vente Venezuela, said she would return to the country “in the coming days”, without giving a specific date.
For now, Machado’s anticipated return highlights the growing disconnect between the opposition’s expectations and Washington’s priorities, which appear focused on stability and economic engagement rather than political change. Whether she can convert her domestic support and international profile into real influence remains to be seen.
