María Corina Machado Returns to Venezuela from Exile After Nearly a Year Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado returned to Venezuela on Sunday, making her first public appearance since going into exile nearly a year ago, as uncertainty grows over the country's democratic future. CARACAS, Venezuela - Opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado reappeared in Venezuela on Sunday for the first time since December, returning from exile at a time when doubts about the country's democratic future and the role of the U.S. are growing. Machado announced her arrival on social media, writing: I am here. With you. Another leading figure in the Venezuelan opposition, Edmundo González, wrote on X confirming that Machado had arrived and that he would be next to her very soon. Today is a very important day for Venezuelans, González wrote.Our sovereign voice returns with her to lead and guide this process! You know it, this is until the end. On Sunday afternoon, Machado strode into a church in the town of Lara, west of Caracas, to the applause of dozens gathered there. Supporters shook her hand and hugged her, holding cell phones aloft to record her return.Trump Comments On Machado ReturnVideo later showed her walking into the church. Asked by reporters Sunday about Machado's return to Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump said: I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize. So how can I say anything else?And I hope she's safe. She's a very nice woman. But we're doing really well in Venezuela. Machado was briefly detained in January 2025, following a protest against Maduro's planned swearing-in ceremony, and went into hiding in Venezuela for 11 months.After making a clandestine escape from the country, she remained abroad until Sunday. Technically, Machado is still considered a fugitive by Venezuela's government, having been barred from leaving the country at the time she snuck out in December of last year. Machado and her allies have been demanding a date for a presidential election in Venezuela, but U.S. officials have emphasized economic stabilization first.Election Dispute And Political RepressionIn October 2023, Machado won an opposition primary and intended to challenge Maduro in the 2024 presidential election, but the government barred her from running for office. González took her place on the ballot, and ample credible evidence showed that he defeated Maduro by more than a 2-to-1 margin. But the National Electoral Council, which is stacked with ruling-party loyalists, declared Maduro the winner.The lead-up and aftermath of the election were marked by widespread government repression, including forced disappearances, torture and other human rights violations. More than 2,000 people, including poll workers, were detained in the days after the vote. In January, the U.S. military captured Maduro in Caracas and whisked him to New York to face drug-related charges, which he has denied.Many Venezuelans were stunned by the Trump administration's decision to work with Rodríguez, instead of Machado, to try to revitalize the crisis-racked country. After Maduro was deposed, Venezuela's highest court said Rodríguez could serve as acting president for up to 90 days, an interim appointment that could be extended by the National Assembly for an additional 90 days. But the ruling party-controlled assembly never voted to extend her term.Machado had repeatedly vowed to return to Venezuela and, according to her party, she made seven unsuccessful attempts. One of the efforts would have seen her take a charter boat, but the operator canceled the trip, alleging the vessel was unfit for navigation. In another attempt, her team said, Machado tried to fly to the Caribbean island of Curacao, from where she could take a speedboat to Venezuela, but her plane was denied landing permits.Obstacles To Opposition Leader ReentryOpposition activists have accused Venezuela's government of blocking Machado's return, a claim denied by Venezuelan authorities. Others have also questioned whether the Trump administration has been involved in the efforts to stop her from returning. Trump administration officials deny they are holding Machado back but have said that, on some occasions, they have advised her against returning due to safety concerns. Machado and her allies have demanded that the Rodríguez government set a date for a presidential election.Rodríguez told the U.N. General Assembly in September that Venezuelans will determine the right moment for the next election. The last presidential election took place in 2024, but was subject to controversy and accusations of malfeasance from multiple governments, including the Biden administration. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that before holding new elections, Venezuela must stabilize its economy and rebuild its institutions, including its courts and electoral council.But he said in a news conference earlier this month that Machado has every right to enter her country whenever she wants to return. The Trump administration has made clear it wants elections to take place in Venezuela, but an exact timeline is not clear. U.S. officials have also pushed Venezuela to release political prisoners and make other reforms.Machado Endorses Florida Republican CandidateAfter Maduro's capture, there had been bipartisan chatter about Machado becoming Venezuela's new leader, but President Trump rejected that, suggesting that Machado does not have the support of her people. She later handed him the Nobel Peace Prize that she was awarded. Trump publicly suggested he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize and was vexed that he has yet to receive one. Earlier this month, Machado made waves in the U.S. by endorsing Rep.María Elvira Salazar, a Republican from Florida, in her reelection bid. Meanwhile, demonstrators in Caracas have held up banners featuring a portrait of Machado and the Vente Venezuela logo during demonstrations.