The success and professionalism of the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro—with complete secrecy maintained and with no Americans killed—may soon look like the easy part. President Donald Trump’s press conference on Saturday left a confused picture of who will do what next—and who the president thinks should govern Venezuela.
It should be easy. In January 2019, Trump called Maduro an illegitimate ruler, and in 2020 Maduro was indicted. In 2024, Maduro stole another election, declaring himself the winner when the democratic opposition forces won 70 percent of the vote. His regime has produced the worst mass migration crisis in Latin American history (eight million so far); has engaged in drug, gold, and human trafficking; has allied itself with Iran, Cuba, Russia, and China; and has destroyed democracy and prosperity in what was long a rich and free country. Grabbing Maduro and making him face a jury is a great idea.
But now what? Again, the answer should be easy: The United States should be backing Venezuela’s democratic parties. They united last year under María Corina Machado as their candidate for president, and she would have won the election. When Maduro barred her from running, they united under retired career diplomat Edmundo González as a substitute candidate. Though he was almost unknown in Venezuela, he won a huge landslide because Machado backed him, and because he represented a return to democracy. The unity and effectiveness of the opposition last year were remarkable as it fought an election under the worst circumstances—with the danger of arrest, exile, or worse constantly present, with rallies broken up violently, with no access to state media. Its victory is both a tribute to the opposition leadership and a measure of what Venezuelans want.
