Venezuelan opposition leader Machado fails to enter country, acting President Rodriguez meets Trump
asserted
Rodriguez → fail → Trump
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado tried three times in the past 24 hours to return home but was unable to complete the journey.
asserted
Machado → try → journey
Machado sought to travel from Panama to Venezuela by several routes, according to a source with direct knowledge of her plans.
uncertain
Machado → seek → plans
The attempts came as acting President Delcy Rodriguez visited New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where she met with US President Donald Trump.
asserted
she → come → Trump
The efforts included plans to travel by boat and to fly to the Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao before continuing by sea, the source said.
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source → include → sea
Colombia’s NTN24 first reported the attempts earlier on Sept 22.
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NTN24 → report → Sept
The failure to get home underscores the obstacles Machado continues to face as she seeks to carve out a role in the US-backed political transition following Nicolas Maduro’s capture in January.
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she → get → January
They also highlight the divergent paths of Machado and Rodriguez as Washington deepens its engagement with the acting president while shunning the opposition.
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Washington → highlight → opposition
Rodriguez met with Trump on Sept 22 on the sidelines of the UN meeting, according to a White House official.
uncertain
Rodriguez → meet → official
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also attended.
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Rubio → attend → State
Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, said on Sept 22 that her mother was actively trying to return but acknowledged that the process was complicated.
“Right now she is trying to return, at this moment,” Sosa told NTN24 in New York, adding that there were “many forces” involved and that returning was not as simple as boarding a plane.
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returning → say → plane
Sosa spoke after accepting the 2026 Concordia Leadership Award on her mother’s behalf in New York.
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Sosa → speak → York
Machado participated virtually in the ceremony.
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Machado → participate → ceremony
Machado is expected to address the issue later.
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Machado → expect → issue
The latest efforts follow several previous failed attempts by Machado to return to Venezuela, including one in late June when her plane was forced to divert.
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plane → follow → June
Machado has publicly said she intends to return to take part in Venezuela’s political transition.
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she → say → transition
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, she said she was prepared to leave at a moment’s notice and could enter the country by land, sea or air, though she gave no specific date.
uncertain
she → say → date
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the latest attempts were coordinated with Washington or whether Machado had received security guarantees.
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Machado → coordinate → guarantees
Trump has said he doesn’t oppose her returning to Venezuela.
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her → say → Venezuela
Her efforts come as the Trump administration has increasingly worked with Rodriguez since Maduro’s removal, recognising her authority, easing sanctions and deepening economic ties with her government.
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administration → come → government
The relationship has expanded further with a major oil agreement between the two countries and Rodriguez’s visit to New York in September.
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relationship → expand → September
Machado’s return would present a new challenge for Rodriguez, whose government has allowed politicians, activists and journalists who spent years in exile to come back, including some of Machado’s closest allies.
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who → present → allies
She remains Venezuela’s most popular political figure, with a 53 per cent positive image in the latest AtlasIntel survey conducted for Bloomberg News.
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She → remain → News
Machado went into hiding shortly after the disputed 2024 presidential election, saying she feared for her life as Maduro’s government targeted opposition leaders.
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government → go → leaders
She left Venezuela late in 2025 in a clandestine operation to collect her Nobel Peace Prize and subsequently met Trump and other senior US officials in Washington.
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She → leave → Washington
After the failed attempts to return in June, she remained largely in Panama.
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she → fail → Panama
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