Who’s in Charge of Venezuela After the U.S. Capture of Maduro?

Following the dramatic US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has signaled it will not support Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado to lead the country’s transition.

President Trump publicly dismissed Machado, stating she lacks the necessary support and respect within Venezuela, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the US is prepared to work with Maduro’s vice president and now-acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, if she makes the “right decisions,” softening Trump’s earlier threats of direct US military control.

Machado, who welcomed Maduro’s capture but revealed she hasn’t spoken to Trump since October 2025, finds herself sidelined as the US shifts its strategy toward engaging with figures from the ousted regime, leaving Venezuela’s political future uncertain and highlighting a complex, pragmatic approach to post-intervention governance.