Donald Trump denies that he prevented María Corina Machado from returning to Venezuela: 'She's terrific'

President Donald Trump denied to the press on Wednesday that he had asked María Corina Machado not to return to Venezuela, amid controversy over the opposition leader’s failed attempt to return to her country following the devastating earthquakes that have left, so far, 3,811 deaths, 6,000 injured, and tens of thousands missing.

"No, not at all. She's terrific, she's a wonderful person. Did she go back? I did not tell her not to go back. I think she's a good person. She gave me the Nobel prize, how can I dislike her?” Trump replied when a reporter asked him directly if he had told Machado not to return to Venezuela.

The question came after reports surfaced in the U.S. media that Machado,2025 Nobel Peace Prize, saw her plan to return to Venezuela thwarted despite initially having the backing of senior officials in the Trump administration, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Axios.

Trump’s refusal comes on the same day that Axios published a new report that allegedly revealed internal tensions within the Department of State over the handling of the case. According to that report, several officials suspect that the Under Secretary of State, Chris Landau, twice erroneously communicated Washington’s position on Machado’s travel plans to officials in the Netherlands and Panama, which reportedly caused international confusion and led to the cancellation of at least one attempt by the opposition figure to enter Venezuela via Curaçao. However, a State Department spokesperson categorically stated that at no time did Landau misrepresent U.S. policy.

"The State Department fully supports President Trump and Secretary Rubio in advancing the President's foreign policy agenda," spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Axios. "Undersecretary Landau is a trusted member of the department's leadership team. Any claim to the contrary is simply false."

That report follows an earlier one published by The Wall Street Journal, which reveals that Trump himself had called the leader of Venezuela’s interim government, Delcy Rodríguez, to ask her not to take action against Machado if she returned to the country, before the opposition leader’s flight was ultimately canceled while en route to Curaçao. Machado then attempted a second route from Panama, where Copa Airlines prevented her from boarding a direct flight to Caracas.

Various media outlets reported that the airline was pressured by the Chavista regime not to allow Machado to fly, under the threat of potential retaliation against Copa’s flights to Venezuela.

Trump’s statements come amid political tension in Venezuela following the earthquakes. Delcy Rodríguez’s regime has been heavily criticized forVenezuelan public opinion and the international press for its weak initial response to the catastrophe, state repression, lack of transparency, and also the various scandals involving the theft of humanitarian aid or the looting of victims’ belongings from the rubble.

It also occurs when the image of María Corina Machado, the opposition leader, remains the most favorable in the country, followed closely by that of Trump himself and that of Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, whose approval rating has fallen in recent weeks after the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Caracas praised the regime’s response to the humanitarian tragedy.

Those statements sparked strong outrage in Venezuela and also increased international pressure—both within and outside the U.S.—for Machado to return home. She promised a prompt return and blamed the Rodríguez regime—not the U.S. or Trump—for preventing her from returning to the South American country.