Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado hailed President Trump for removing Nicolás Maduro from power in a network exclusive interview with CBS News — and made the case for why her political coalition should lead the country.

The Venezuelan opposition leader isn’t in charge, but her allies are still confident she can eventually win an election in her country, with his support.

U.S. intelligence suggested María Corina Machado, Venezuela’s opposition leader, would struggle to lead the government. But her relationship with Trump officials had been souring for months.

María Corina Machado told CBS News in a network exclusive interview the people of Venezuela have picked her opposition movement to lead the country in the wake of Nicolás Maduro's ouster.

With Nicolás Maduro out, experts say Nobel laureate María Corina Machado and Edmundo González could lead Venezuela’s transition, though major hurdles remain.

Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), whose south Florida district includes many Cubans and Venezuelans eager for regime change in those countries, said Maria Corina Machado, the country’s exiled opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, hasn’t been pushed aside.

María Corina Machado said Nicolas Maduro's former vice president Delcy Rodríguez was "one of the main architects" of his oppressive regime in Venezuela.