GOP rep explodes at suggestion he’s not backing Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado after Maduro capture

Machado had won a primary in 2023 to be the opposition standard-bearer in the 2024 general election, but was barred from running by Venezuela’s government.

She fled Venezuela covertly last month ahead of the ceremony to honor her winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Machado has publicly lavished praise on Trump.

Ultimately, Edmundo González became the opposition candidate in the 2024 election, but later fled to Spain. Many critics, including the Biden administration, questioned the legitimacy of Maduro’s claim to victory in the 2024 election in Venezuela.

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Following Maduro’s capture, his vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has been serving as acting president of the South American country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been in contact with Rodriguez.

“No, if Maduro’s vice president — if the vice president does what we want, we won’t have to do that,” Trump told The Post when asked if the US would put troops on the ground in Venezuela.

Trump had greenlit a daring operation in the wee Saturday morning hours to capture Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the middle of Caracas.

The deposed, former Venezuelan leader, was then transported back to the US, where he is set to face trial for alleged drug trafficking in the coming days.