STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado returned home on Sunday. John Otis reports.
JOHN OTIS, BYLINE: After crossing the border from neighboring Colombia, Maria Corina Machado was met by thousands of Venezuelans as her caravan wound its way towards Caracas.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting in non-English language).
OTIS: It was Machado's first time back since she snuck out of the country in December to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Her return has raised hope that Venezuela's authoritarian regime, which has held power since 1999, may finally be on the way out.
LUZ MARIA TABORDA: (Non-English language spoken).
OTIS: "I am so thrilled," says Luz Maria Taborda, who sells clothes on the streets of Caracas.
TABORDA: (Non-English language spoken).
OTIS: "Machado," she says, "is our guide. She's the most level-headed person we could possibly have at this political moment." Machado has also tried to curry favor with President Trump, even giving him her Nobel Prize. But after U.S. troops arrested Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in January, the Trump administration installed Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's vice president, as interim leader. Since then, Rodriguez has signed generous oil and mineral deals with U.S. officials, who, in turn, discouraged Machado from going home. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump seemed surprised by her return.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't know anything about it, but I think she's a very nice woman. She gave me her Nobel Prize, so how can I say anything else?
OTIS: Machado was banned from running in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election, but her stand-in candidate won by a landslide. However, Maduro stole the election, and Machado went into hiding. Speaking to NPR in May, while she was still in exile, Machado predicted she would win a new election.
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MARIA CORINA MACHADO: Imagine with the unjust conditions we had in 2024, and we did win with almost 70% of a vote, imagine what's going to happen with free and fair elections.
OTIS: For NPR News, I'm John Otis. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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