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The pursuing is the transcript of the afloat interrogation with Nobel Peace Prize victor María Corina Machado that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Dec. 14, 2025.
This interrogation was taped connected Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We spell present to María Corina Machado, Venezuelan absorption person who joins america from Norway wherever she conscionable received the Nobel Peace Prize. Welcome to 'Face the Nation.'
MARÍA CORINA MACHADO: Thank you precise much, Margaret. It's my pleasure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You look apprehension by the Maduro regime. I cognize you went done bonzer trouble conscionable getting retired of the state and to Norway. You said you got enactment from the United States authorities to bash so. Can you archer america what benignant of support?
MACHADO: Actually, I similar not to springiness distant immoderate details, due to the fact that I bash not privation to summation the hazard connected men and women that helped maine to beryllium here. And the authorities has been, you know, precise cruel against those that successful the past person helped different Venezuelans fly the state erstwhile they were persecuted. So successful this case, I bash similar to support them arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.
MARGARET BRENNAN: I recognize that. The caput of the backstage rescue organization, who said helium helped you travel retired of Venezuela, spoke to my CBS colleague, Lilia Luciano, and said smuggling you retired was precise precocious hazard due to the fact that you are truthful good known. You traveled by land, by sea, by air. He said aggregate donors paid for it. Do you cognize wherefore it was truthful important to them for you to marque it to Norway and person that prize?
MACHADO: Well, I frankly person nary idea. And arsenic I say, I americium not going to springiness much accusation regarding my travel to Norway. But what americium I going to say- however important it is for the Venezuelan people. This is simply a designation to a federation that has fought tirelessly, courageously against a criminal, narcoterrorist operation and- and I came to person that prize, that award, and I'm going to bring it backmost location to the Venezuelan radical arsenic soon arsenic possible.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You accidental you're going backmost home. I cognize you sent your ain children retired of Venezuelan territory successful bid to support them, your sons, your daughter. I work you hadn't adjacent seen your girl successful 16 months. That's an unthinkable sacrifice for anyone. Are they acrophobic that you program to instrumentality to Venezuela? When are you going?
MACHADO: Of course, they are acrophobic arsenic immoderate different Venezuelan kid that has their parents oregon relatives backmost successful our country, due to the fact that the regime, arsenic I said, has persecuted, tortured, killed, disappeared, thousands of Venezuelans, and precocious it has turned adjacent much convulsive because, you cognize when, erstwhile a transgression authorities is falling isolated and they cognize their days are numbered, they crook adjacent much aggressive, adjacent much violent. Just a mates of weeks ago, a 16 twelvemonth aged miss was kidnapped and taken distant to situation conscionable due to the fact that they were looking for her brother, and since they couldn't find her brother, they took Samantha. So this is the kinds of actions that are presently happening successful my country. So yes, my household is concerned, but they cognize I person said that I volition beryllium wherever I americium much utile to our cause, and that's precisely what I'm going to do.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You judge it's important to assistance the origin from wrong the state close now. Can you assistance america recognize what is going on, due to the fact that we are seeing present successful the US an summation successful the unit campaign. More sanctions connected Venezuelan individuals and vessels. We saw an equipped seizure of a vas carrying lipid retired of Venezuela. Selling lipid connected the achromatic marketplace is truly important wealth for the Maduro regime. Do you endorse this thought of much seizures and perchance adjacent a blockade?
MACHADO: Look, I perfectly enactment President Trump's strategy, and we, the Venezuelan people, are precise grateful to him and to his administration, due to the fact that I judge helium is simply a champion of state successful this hemisphere. And that's why, and I accidental this from Oslo close now, I had dedicated this grant to him due to the fact that I deliberation that helium yet has enactment Venezuela successful wherever it should be, successful presumption of a precedence for the United States nationalist security. And we bash enactment these actions, because, Margaret, we are facing, not a accepted dictatorship. This is simply a precise analyzable transgression operation that has turned Venezuela into a harmless haven of planetary transgression and violent activities, starting with Russia, Iran, Cuba, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Colombian guerrilla, the cause cartels operating freely and directed successful concern with Maduro and his regime. And arsenic each transgression operation is suffers, is erstwhile the inflows from their transgression activities are cut. And these, successful the lawsuit of Maduro regime, comes from the lipid achromatic marketplace to cause trafficking, golden smuggling, limb smuggling, adjacent quality smuggling and trafficking. So that's what we believe, it was truthful important to apply, you know, instrumentality enforcement, and we person been asking this for years, truthful it's yet happening. That's wherefore I judge the authorities has its days numbered.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It sounds similar you enactment much sanctions and perchance much seizures of oil, but isn't determination a hazard that cutting disconnected wealth volition further wounded the already impoverished radical of Venezuela? Isn't that a risk?
MACHADO: Of course. What we're doing is for the good being of the Venezuelan people. What we privation to bash is to prevention lives, but Maduro was the 1 who declared a warfare connected the Venezuelan people. A warfare we didn't want. A warfare we are suffering with hundreds of thousands of killings and forced executions successful the past years. And close now, I privation to beryllium precise wide with the planetary community, the resources Maduro gets are not going to schools oregon hospitals successful Venezuela a teacher earns $1 a day. Pensions are little than $1 a month. Our children spell doubly a week to school. The sources, the currency the authorities gets from these amerciable activities goes to bargain arms, to wage pack members to spy and infiltrate and to adjacent further summation their amerciable narcotics activities and truthful on. So these resources are not going for, to- towards the people. They're going for corruption and crime.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So it sounds similar you privation adjacent much seizures and a blockade. Is that correct?
MACHADO: We privation each ineligible enactment done instrumentality enforcement a- approach, not lone from the United States, besides from different Caribbean, Latin American and European countries that further artifact the amerciable activities of the regime. Why? Because we request to summation the outgo of staying successful powerfulness by force. Once you get to that constituent successful which the outgo of staying successful powerfulness is higher than the outgo of leaving power, the authorities volition autumn apart, and it's the infinitesimal wherever we, you know, beforehand into a negotiated transition. Which is what successful the opening we offered Maduro erstwhile we won the statesmanlike predetermination by landslide past year, but helium not lone refused that option, but he, arsenic you know, unleashed the worst, astir brutal repression question we've seen successful our history.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And 8 cardinal Venezuelans person fled–
MACHADO: That's correct.
MARGARET BRENNAN: –since helium came to powerfulness during that time, but successful presumption of the diplomacy, President Trump spoke with Maduro himself past month. We haven't seen immoderate grounds though, that diplomacy, a negotiated exit similar you mentioned, is happening. Are you seeing diplomatic success?
MACHADO Well, successful the past years, Venezuela has seen 17 dialog initiatives, not once, not twice, 17. Every azygous clip the absorption oregon our allies oregon the United States person complied with each azygous happening we offered, the authorities of the state has violated each azygous happening they offered connected their ain part. What did they get? They got time, they got legitimacy, they got money, and that's precisely what they deliberation they tin get again, erstwhile again. But certainly, things person changed precise overmuch successful the past months, Venezuela is full antithetic country. I mean, Maduro is weaker than ever. The Armed Forces, constabulary are surely divided and fractured, and our state is united, cohesive, and we yet person the administration, successful this case, President Trump with a wide strategy that genuinely represents a credible menace for the regime. So if we had ever had a accidental to yet determination up into, towards ideology successful our country, it's today.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What grounds bash you person that the subject is weaker than ever? Was your flight impervious of that?
MACHADO: Well, archetypal of all, we person the grounds that the wide bulk of the subject privation change, and that was- we saw that connected July 28, 2024, that the subject were ordered to expel our electoral witnesses from the polling stations and to contradict our close to the archetypal tally sheets and they disobeyed that order. Even successful those polling stations wherever we cognize determination is simply a precocious information of military, we won by a landslide. More recently, we've seen much and much members of the subject uncovering ways to link with us, to nonstop messages to, to, to amusement that they are feeling the aforesaid of what the remainder of the state is feeling. When, erstwhile they, this subject spell backmost home, they find their children, their mother, their partners, saying that they are hungry, that they are persecuted, that their families person been divided. They are scared. Yes, they are scared, due to the fact that repression and persecution successful the subject is adjacent tougher than connected civilians.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So President Trump said that onshore strikes to halt cause trafficking specifically volition commencement soon. He has been saying that for weeks. Do you cognize what helium is talking about? Has helium promised you anything?
MACHADO: No, I don't know. And well, if I knew, I wouldn't accidental it, of course. But it's not the case. We are not involved, and we volition not get progressive into different nation's argumentation for their ain nationalist security.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But would you invited U.S. subject action?
MACHADO: I volition invited much and much unit truthful that Maduro understands that helium has to go, that his clip is over. And I volition importune thing that I've said respective times before, this is not accepted authorities change. This cannot beryllium compared to different cases, similar countries successful the Middle East, we had an election. Regime alteration was already mandated by implicit 70% of the population, and what we request is enactment to enforce that decision.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How bash you quadrate subject enactment with receiving a bid prize? Are we astatine the constituent it's necessary?
MACHADO: What we're warring for is precisely state successful bid to person ideology and democracy, successful bid to person peace. And successful bid to support state and to execute freedom, you bash request strength. The contrary would beryllium the bid of the dead, successful which you person a state nether implicit oppression and simply fixed in. And that's not the case. It's perfectly absurd that you spot a regime, a transgression authorities similar Maduro, that gets enactment from Russia oregon from Iran and past arsenic a payment to chartless people, not to inquire enactment from antiauthoritarian countries and Democratic leaders, that's absolute, absurd. We bash not person arms. We person our will. We person the powerfulness of enactment and the powerfulness of love, which astatine the end, I person to accidental that bid is yet an enactment of love.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The authorities itself has done a fig of things. They person revoked TV licenses for journalists to broadcast, broadcast truthfully. He has jailed journalists. The United Nations says the National Guard targeted governmental opponents, committed intersexual violence, tortured radical and committed different crimes against humanity. So from wherever you beryllium is Maduro stepping down enough? Or bash you request the full authorities dismantled? In which lawsuit that sounds similar a state successful collapse.
MACHADO: That's a precise bully question, due to the fact that surely Maduro is the caput of the structure, but it's similar immoderate different mafia system. You person families oregon groups that run and sometimes adjacent vie among each other. There are antithetic degrees successful the crimes they person committed, surely those that person committed crimes against humanity that person been reported by the information uncovering missions of the United Nations should look justice, section justness and planetary justice. There are different members of the authorities oregon the equipped forces that person committed lesser crimes. And surely we volition hunt for justice, not revenge. But this, I'm going to insist, what we're surviving close present is chaos. Maduro correspond chaos. We're going to enactment order. And this full idea, you know, radical talking astir a hazard of a civilian warfare and truthful on. Whoever says that has nary thought astatine each astir what Venezuela is. I mean, we are surely the astir cohesive nine successful the region, I would situation to say, possibly successful the world. I mean, Venezuelan nine has nary religious, social, regional, radical confrontations oregon tensions connected the country. 90% of our colonisation privation the same, privation the authorities to spell immediately, and we privation to enactment hard to unrecorded with freedom. We privation nary much socialism, but astir of all, we privation our children backmost home.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood, but respectfully, you besides person acknowledged that the cause cartels are exploiting your country, that Russia is exploiting your country, Iran, Cuba, China. Just yesterday, Vladimir Putin spoke with Maduro and said their strategical concern is growing. Are you acrophobic present that Russia is going to enactment up enactment for the subject and intelligence?
MACHADO: Well, I'm, I'm perfectly convinced that Putin wants the satellite to deliberation that, particularly wants President Trump to deliberation that, astir that. But I would inquire you a question, bash you deliberation Putin has resources to spare astatine this time? Or does helium has-something that's much urgent for him to put those resources. I mean helping a authorities that it's going to autumn isolated anyway, careless of what helium does. I don't deliberation it's a precedence for him. Nonetheless, I bash not underestimate what the residual actors of Chavismo mightiness beryllium readying to bash erstwhile we are successful a modulation to democracy. And that volition necessitate precise businesslike actions to isolate and neutralize those threats. And you know, we've enactment precise hard to recognize what's the existent quality of our equipped forces close now, identifying those subject which we judge could beryllium supportive of a tran- modulation to ideology and the caller gov--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --Have they pledged that to you?
MACHADO: Some of them, yes, and we judge that implicit 80% of our equipped forces would articulation and enactment the antiauthoritarian question erstwhile the modulation is successful place.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So archer maine astir that transition. I- we checked and erstwhile Secretary Rubio was sworn into office, you were 1 of the precise archetypal telephone calls that helium made. On time two.
MACHADO: Me and President-elect Edmundo González, it was the 2 of us--
MARGARET BRENNAN: --That's right, that's right, he's profoundly interested. So I'm funny successful what has been promised to you if and erstwhile Maduro and his authorities leave, what benignant of enactment bash you request to support the state unneurotic to forestall different exile crisis? And bash you person that pledge from the American authorities now?
MACHADO: We volition request a batch of support, advice, information, technology, not lone from the United States, besides from multilateral organizations, immoderate of which we are already moving together. Not lone successful information issues but powerfulness supply, nutrient supply. How bash we bring, you know, enactment bid successful our fiscal accounts? How bash we restructure our debt? How we unfastened markets for planetary concern and springiness information to planetary concern successful oil, successful gas, successful infrastructure, captious minerals? I mean, Venezuela is unsocial successful presumption of the magnitude of the earthy endowments we have. And you know, we're located astatine 3 hours by level from Florida. So it's hard to think, you know, successful this shortening of the proviso chains that is successful the near-shoring process taking spot a amended state successful the portion than Venezuela. And astatine the aforesaid time, you know, turning Venezuela from the transgression hub of the Americas into a information shield for the United States and for the remainder of the region, is simply a apical precedence for all. So, you know, we person the plans ready. We person the teams ready. We cognize what we person to bash the archetypal 100 hours and the adjacent 100 days. But astir importantly, and I privation to importune connected this, we person the people. I mean, this is thing that it's- I've heard once, implicit and implicit again each investigation permission the radical connected the side, erstwhile that's the astir important unit that we person close now. That's wherefore we are wherever we are close now. And the Venezuelan radical privation to determination up erstwhile we conquered ideology back, would person cost- has outgo america truthful galore lives, truthful many- truthful overmuch pain, that you volition spot the state taking attraction of it. The radical volition beryllium the main root of stability. But surely we look guardant for- to practice with our main allies. And of course, our main state volition beryllium the United States of America.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Would that see US peacekeeping troops oregon different troops connected the ground?
MACHADO: I cannot reply that question close now. I don't deliberation that's the case. There are different countries that person offered enactment arsenic good successful bid to fortify antiauthoritarian institutions erstwhile the government-elect is successful place, but that we volition person to code that erstwhile we person the, you know, the government-elect successful spot and enactment successful order, bringing bid backmost to our country. And 1 happening that you mentioned earlier astir the, you know, the exile crisis, it's going to beryllium precisely the country. The time Maduro goes, you volition spot 10s of 1000s, hundreds of 1000s of Venezuelan migrants coming backmost location from the United States and each implicit the world. I mean, our diaspora is hopeless to spell backmost to Venezuela. So adjacent from that perspective, it is simply a win, triumph concern to person ideology successful Venezuela.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you deliberation it is harmless for those Venezuelans successful America to spell backmost determination present immoderate impermanent protected presumption was conscionable revoked by the president for much than fractional a cardinal Venezuelans here. Is it harmless for them?
MACHADO: Absolutely not. It volition beryllium harmless erstwhile Maduro is gone, and each azygous national volition be, you know, leaving state and respect successful towards the law. We volition bring backmost regularisation of law. We volition liberate our governmental prisoners, and everybody volition beryllium escaped to talk retired what they feel, what they think, what they privation for the future, of their ain aboriginal and their families.
MARGARET BRENNAN: María Corina Machado, we convey you for your clip today, and we'll beryllium watching.
MACHADO: I convey you, Margaret, for this large opportunity, and God bless Venezuela. Venezuela volition beryllium free.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll beryllium close back.
English (US) ·