María Corina Machado describes Jan. 3 operation as 'impeccable,' asserts a free Venezuela will strengthen security in the hemisphere

During an interview with conservative analyst Dinesh D'Souza, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado outlined what she considers the roadmap for Venezuela's reconstruction.

Machado highlighted the cultural and political affinity between the peoples of the United States and Venezuela, asserting that a free Venezuela will reestablish the strategic alliance with Washington on key issues such as energy, trade, culture and regional security.

Cost of the collectivist model and defense of the free market

Machado was emphatic in her assessment of the impact of the socialist model established by the Chavista regime, noting that the concentration of power destroyed the productive and institutional infrastructure of a country with the largest oil reserves on the planet.

"Eighty-six percent of our people live in poverty, and that's the result of communists and socialists. Period. ... We need to dismantle completely the socialist system," the leader asserted during the dialogue.

To reverse the social catastrophe, she proposed an economic restructuring based on liberal principles.

"We need to bring respect to private property. We need to open the markets," Machado emphasized, while contrasting the regime's alliance with actors hostile to Washington with the institutional order the country requires.

"[The regime's] main allies are the enemies of the United States: Iran, Russia, China and Cuba. ... Delcy Rodríguez is chaos. I mean, everything they do is a disaster. We need to put order," she stated.

Government inefficiency in the wake of the earthquake and support for Trump's strategy

On the social front, the leader addressed the humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the two earthquakes that recently struck the nation. While she acknowledged the unpredictable nature of the event, she blamed the regime's bureaucracy for the lack of an immediate response.

"An earthquake is a natural event, but the scale of this disaster has political reasons. ... During those first three days—those first 72 hours are critical to save lives—no one from the state appeared at ground zero. ... There were only citizens, people helping each other," she claimed.

When analyzing international politics, Machado endorsed President Donald Trump's vision regarding stability in the hemisphere, emphasizing that any process of change must take into account the operational lessons learned from past conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I totally agree with President Trump's approach in terms of having stability and learning the lessons from the mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan," she stated.

She also strongly praised the actions taken by the White House earlier this year. "What [Trump] did on Jan. 3 from a military perspective was impeccable, and now we can turn that into an absolutely historic event, which is turning a criminal hub into the beacon of hope and security and for the national security of the United States and the hemisphere," she concluded.

Popular legitimacy as a guarantee of stability

In the eyes of the Venezuelan opposition leader, the social cohesion achieved by the citizens is the foundation that will sustain an orderly transition to democracy. Machado emphasized that Venezuelans have already managed to rebuild internal trust and that the priority now is to build solid and legitimate institutions that have the direct support of the population to ensure lasting stability.