Venezuela’s Transition: Trump, Rodríguez and Machado

The article reports that Venezuelans protested in New York against interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s participation in the United Nations General Assembly. The demonstrators called on world leaders not to normalise relations with Rodriguez’s government, which they described as illegitimate. The report says Rodriguez took power in January after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was captured by the US military. The protest therefore focused both on Rodriguez’s presence at the UN and on the international legitimacy of the government she leads. The article does not give details about the size or organisation of the demonstration, identify individual protesters, or include responses from Rodriguez, the Venezuelan government, or UN officials. It also does not provide further context about Maduro’s capture or the transfer of power. Its central point is the protesters’ opposition to Rodriguez’s participation in the General Assembly and their appeal to world leaders to avoid treating her government as legitimate. The report is brief and presents the protest and its stated demands without offering broader analysis or taking a position on the competing claims.

US President Donald Trump met Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, marking their first face-to-face meeting since the US-backed transition that followed the seizure of former president Nicolás Maduro. US forces had raided Caracas and taken Maduro, who is now awaiting trial in New York on drug-trafficking and other charges. The meeting took place a few kilometres from the jail where he is being held. Rodríguez said the leaders discussed cooperation in energy, mining and security. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also attended. Their talks come as Rodríguez’s government has signed an agreement giving the US control over more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil—over a fifth of the country’s reserves—through 100-year concessions for a US-led company covering 17 oilfields. Trump has described the arrangement as “the biggest oil deal in world history.” In a recent UN address, he said the US and Venezuela control more than 60% of global oil and added, “To the victor belong the spoils.” Rodríguez is scheduled to address the UN on Wednesday. She previously served as Maduro’s vice-president and was sanctioned by the US in 2018; those measures were lifted in April. Venezuela’s National Assembly swore her in as interim president days after the US raid, with the White House’s support. The article also notes that opposition leader María Corina Machado has repeatedly been prevented from re-entering Venezuela. The meeting underscores the close US involvement in Venezuela’s political transition and the strategic importance of oil in the countries’ relationship.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was reportedly denied entry into Venezuela three times within 24 hours while trying to return from Panama, according to her senior adviser, David Smolansky. Smolansky said she attempted to enter by air and by sea but was turned away on each occasion. Machado has been unable to return since December, when a private U.S. rescue team covertly helped her leave Venezuela to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. The Venezuelan government considers her a fugitive and accuses her of calling for foreign military intervention. The article notes that these are the latest in a series of unsuccessful attempts to return, including an effort after devastating double earthquakes on June 24. Colombian broadcaster NTN24 and Spanish newspaper ABC reported that the latest attempt was disrupted by air-travel restrictions, last-minute cancellations, and mechanical failures. The reported entry denials occurred as interim leader Delcy Rodríguez met with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Venezuela has experienced political repression since former President Nicolás Maduro’s widely disputed claim to have won the July 2024 election. The article says the crackdown on the opposition eased after the United States seized Maduro in a raid on Caracas in January. Machado was not invited to U.S.-backed transition talks involving the interim government and selected opposition groups. She has said she would not interfere in the process. The report presents her failed return attempts amid continuing political tensions and negotiations over Venezuela’s transition.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made three attempts over a 24-hour period to return to Venezuela but did not complete the journey, according to the article. Machado was trying to travel from Panama, using different possible routes. A person with direct knowledge of her plans said these included traveling by boat and flying to the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao before continuing by sea. The article does not specify why the attempts failed or provide further details about the routes or Machado’s current location. Colombia’s NTN24 had reported the attempts earlier on Tuesday. The efforts coincided with acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez’s visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. While there, Rodriguez met with US President Donald Trump. The article’s headline and subheading frame the meeting as a significant encounter, describing it as the first since the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. The report places Machado’s attempted return and Rodriguez’s US visit alongside one another, but does not state that the events were directly connected or explain what was discussed at the meeting. Overall, the article reports a limited set of developments in Venezuelan politics: Machado’s unsuccessful efforts to get home and Rodriguez’s meeting with Trump in New York. It attributes the details about Machado’s travel plans to an unnamed person with direct knowledge and identifies NTN24 as the outlet that first reported the attempts.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made three unsuccessful attempts to return to Venezuela in recent hours, according to her team and media reports, as interim President Delcy Rodriguez met US President Donald Trump in New York. Machado adviser Pedro Urruchurtu said the latest attempts, by sea and air, were part of seven failed efforts since Machado left Venezuela clandestinely nine months earlier. A spokesperson for Machado later confirmed the remarks. Machado herself has not publicly commented, and the US State Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The events coincided with high-stakes diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly. Trump’s meeting with Rodriguez was his first with her since US forces captured then-President Nicolas Maduro during a raid in January. The article says US officials privately urged Machado to postpone her return after earthquakes in Venezuela in June and opposed her efforts to re-enter the country, citing people familiar with the matter. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been in exile since late 2025, after spending a period in hiding following Venezuela’s contested 2024 election. Her potential return remains contentious, despite repeated vows to go back after Maduro’s removal and two major earthquakes. The Spanish newspaper ABC reported the attempts, but did not specify who blocked the efforts by sea and air. The article leaves unresolved who prevented Machado’s return and offers no further details about the failed attempts.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado made three unsuccessful attempts within 24 hours to return to Venezuela from Panama, according to a source familiar with her plans. The proposed routes included travelling by boat and flying to the Caribbean islands of Aruba or Curacao before continuing by sea. Her failed efforts underline the practical and political obstacles she faces in trying to participate in Venezuela’s transition after former president Nicolas Maduro was captured in January. The attempts coincided with acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. Rodriguez met US President Donald Trump on Sept 22, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also present. The article describes Washington as deepening its engagement with Rodriguez’s government while shunning the opposition. The Trump administration has recognised Rodriguez’s authority, eased sanctions and expanded economic ties, including through a major oil agreement. Trump has said he does not oppose Machado returning, but it is unclear whether her latest efforts were coordinated with Washington or whether she has security guarantees. Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, confirmed that her mother was actively trying to return, while saying the process was complicated and involved “many forces.” Machado participated virtually in a New York award ceremony where Sosa accepted the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award on her behalf. Machado has previously failed to return, including after her plane was forced to divert in June. She has said she intends to take part in the political transition and could enter Venezuela by land, sea or air. Machado remains a prominent opposition figure, with a 53 per cent positive image in a recent AtlasIntel survey for Bloomberg News. She went into hiding after the disputed 2024 election, later left Venezuela clandestinely to collect her Nobel Peace Prize, and has since spent much of her time in Panama. Her return could challenge Rodriguez, even as Rodriguez’s government has allowed some exiled politicians, activists and journalists—including Machado allies—to come home.

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, met Donald Trump in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, calling the encounter “historic” and presenting it as a step toward cooperation on energy, mining and security. The meeting came less than nine months after Trump ordered the capture of her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, who is being held in a Brooklyn prison. Rodríguez did not say whether she would visit Maduro, despite a reporter’s question, and her statement about the meeting made no mention of him. The encounter is viewed as part of Rodríguez’s effort to gain international legitimacy after Venezuela’s isolation under Maduro. It also followed Trump’s public praise for the operation that captured Maduro and his comments about a major oil deal with Venezuela. Rodríguez has made concessions to Washington, including ceding control of oil revenues and agreeing to a controversial oil arrangement. Critics described the meeting as humiliating, while Latin America expert Orlando Pérez argued the photo opportunity benefited Rodríguez by signaling US recognition and encouraging other leaders to engage with her. He also said it helped Trump portray himself to supporters as having gained influence over Venezuela and its oil. The article notes that Trump has praised Rodríguez while sidelining opposition leader María Corina Machado, who is living in exile and has reportedly failed in attempts to return to Venezuela. It places the meeting within a broader account of Trump’s effort to reassert US influence in Latin America, including pressure on Cuba and alleged involvement in Brazil’s politics. Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized external interference, defended Brazilian democracy, and called for Venezuelans to determine their own future through elections.