Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has vowed she will lead the country when the right time comes.
There's a mission, and we are going to turn Venezuela into that land of grace, and I believe I will be elected when the right time comes as president of Venezuela, the first woman president, she told Fox News.
Her comments come a day after she gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal, calling it a recognition of his commitment to Venezuela's freedom.
The US seized Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on 3 January and removed him to New York to face various drugs and weapons charges.
However, Trump has declined to endorse Machado as Venezuela's new leader, saying she did not have enough domestic support - despite her opposition movement claiming victory in 2024's widely contested elections.
He has instead been dealing with the country's interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who had been Maduro's vice-president and who on Friday held a two-hour meeting with the director of the CIA at President Trump's direction aimed at building trust and communication between the two countries, according to a US official.
Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America's adversaries, the US official said.
Asked on Friday about his decision to work with Rodríguez over Machado, Trump told reporters his decision had been informed by the US experience in Iraq more than 20 years ago.
Security and political structures were dismantled after the US invaded, setting the scene for insurgency and the eventual emergence of the Islamic State group.
Speaking later at an event in Washington, Machado said she was confident there would be an orderly transition in her country, stating, The result of a stable transition will be a proud Venezuela that will be the best ally the US has ever had in the Americas.
Machado emphasized her position as representing a vast movement of Venezuelans aiming to dismantle the current regime, which she describes as a criminal structure.
Meanwhile, Delcy Rodríguez delivered her first state of the union address since taking over as interim president, asserting she would not shy away from diplomatic engagements with the US, and announcing reforms in the oil industry aimed to attract more foreign investments.
The evolving dynamics in U.S.-Venezuela relations continue to shape the landscape for both Machado and Rodríguez as they vie for influence over the nation's future.
