Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado expressed her gratitude for President Donald Trump over the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. So much so, she said she wanted to share her Nobel Peace Prize with him.
Machado appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” Monday evening, where she praised the U.S.’ military action in Venezuela, which saw the capture and arrest of Maduro on narco-terrorism charges. Per Machado, she felt Trump deserved the prestigious peace award back in October, noting Maduro’s arrest only proved her point.
“Let me be very clear, as soon as I learned that we had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, I dedicated [it] to President Trump,” Machado told host Sean Hannity. “Because I believed that he deserved it. And a lot of people, most people, said it was impossible to achieve what he has just done on Saturday, Jan. 3. I believed he deserved it in October, imagine now.”
She continued: “I think he has proven to the world what he means. I mean, Jan. 3 will go down in history as the day justice defeated tyranny. It’s a milestone. And it’s not only huge for the Venezuelan people and our future, I think it’s a huge step for humanity, for freedom and human dignity.”
While Machado noted that she has not spoken with Trump since October, she shared how “grateful” the Venezuelan people are for him.
“I do want to say today, on behalf of the Venezuelan people, how grateful we are for his courageous vision, the historical actions he has taken against this narco-terrorist regime, to start dismantling this structure and bringing Maduro to justice,” she went on. “Which means that 30 million Venezuelans are now closer to freedom, but also, that United States of America is a safer country nowadays.”
On whether she outright offered Trump her Nobel Peace Prize — which she was awarded for her fight against a dictatorship — Machado said “it hasn’t happened yet.”
She added: “But I would love to be able to personally tell him that the Venezuelan people … want to give it to him and share it with him.”
Watch the full interview above.
Machado’s appearance on Fox News marked her first interview since Maduro was deposed on Saturday. She is best known as Maduro’s most notable opponent, having left Venezuela in October to accept the peace prize for her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” per the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
Machado has not returned to Venezuela since accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, but said on Monday that she is “planning to go as soon as possible back home.”
Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela’s vice president and oil minister, has since been sworn in as the country’s interim president. However, Machado’s name has arisen in regards to future leadership for Venezuela.
Yet, Trump shut down the idea of Machado stepping into the role of president on Saturday, saying she didn’t “have the support within or the respect within the country.”
