‘Cuba And Nicaragua Next’: Machado’s Anti-Communism Message Has A Pro-Trump Edge

Last Updated:January 22, 2026, 18:48 IST

Machado framed the current phase as unprecedented, crediting both domestic resistance and international backing.

Venezuelan leader Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel Prize to US President Donald Trump. (Reuters)

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado declared that Venezuela was on the cusp of freedom and vowed to extend that fight across the region, pointing to Cuba and Nicaragua as the next targets in what she described as a push against communism. Machado said the country’s long-running political crisis had reached a decisive turning point following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

“Venezuela will be free," she said, adding, “And once we liberate Venezuela, we will keep working, and we will have a free Cuba and a free Nicaragua. For the first time in history, we will have the Americas free of communism, dictatorship and anarcho-terrorism."

‘A Historic Moment’

Machado framed the current phase as unprecedented, crediting both domestic resistance and international backing for bringing Venezuela to what she described as a moment of reckoning.

“This is a historic moment," she said, adding, “We wouldn’t be here without the commitment, resilience, generosity and courage of the Venezuelan people, but also because of the support, vision and courage of incredible leaders, such as the president of the United States, Donald Trump and members of this honourable Congress."

She singled out US lawmakers Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar for their support of the Venezuelan opposition, saying they stood by the movement when others believed the struggle was unwinnable.

“When many thought it was impossible to defeat this narco-terrorist regime, when many told us to give up, you trusted the Venezuelan people for the right reasons because freedom always prevails," she said.

Machado cast Venezuela’s struggle in moral terms, calling it “an existential fight for life," “an ethical fight for the truth" and “a spiritual fight for good."

She thanked the American people and Congress, arguing that shared democratic values would reshape Venezuela’s place in the region.

“We share the principles and values that built this nation- the same values our founding fathers believed in and defended in Venezuela. Those values will turn our country into the strongest ally the United States has ever had in the region," she said.

Machado’s remarks followed a January 3 US military operation in Venezuela that resulted in Maduro’s capture. In the aftermath, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed office as interim president. Maduro is now in US custody and is expected to stand trial in the United States on drug trafficking charges. The Trump administration has also moved to assert control over Venezuelan oil exports, seizing multiple sanctioned tankers. The intervention has triggered sharply divided international responses. Countries including Brazil, Chile, China, France, Iran, Mexico, Russia and Spain have condemned the US action, while leaders in Argentina, Germany, Israel, Peru and Ukraine have welcomed the developments.

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