When American grit and decisive leadership met a tyrant, the world watched justice finally arrive in Caracas. United States special operations carried out a precision mission that removed Nicolás Maduro from power and brought him to New York to face long-standing narcotics and terrorism charges, ending years of Maduro’s rule that turned Venezuela into a rogue narco-state. This was not a reckless act of empire but a necessary strike to protect our hemisphere from drug cartels and hostile proxies who preyed on American families.
Venezuelan-American journalist Germania Rodriguez Poleo made the patriotic case on American television that María Corina Machado is the legitimate leader Venezuela needs, not Delcy Rodríguez, and her voice must be listened to by U.S. policymakers. Poleo’s powerful testimony — coming from someone who knows the terror of chavismo firsthand — underlines that real Venezuelan democracy cannot be built on the same rotten institutions that kept Maduro in power. Patriots in exile like Rodriguez Poleo represent the conscience of the Venezuelan people and they deserve to be at the center of any transition.
María Corina Machado and her movement insist that the 2024 election was won by the opposition’s candidate and that she and her allies stand ready to restore legitimate governance and free elections. Machado publicly declared the hour of freedom had arrived and vowed to enforce the opposition’s mandate, while the U.S. and other friends recognize Edmundo González as the rightful winner according to opposition tallies. If Washington wants stability and genuine reform in Venezuela, it should back the people who actually fought and won the election, not apparatchiks who served Maduro.
Make no mistake: the quick elevation of Delcy Rodríguez by Maduro’s courts is a familiar trick from the chavista playbook, not a democratic solution. Former U.S. officials and seasoned observers have warned that supporting Rodríguez risks empowering the same security bosses and cronies who ran Maduro’s repression, and that recognition must be earned by concrete, verifiable actions toward reform and justice. The United States should be laser-focused on accountability and real transition metrics, not on propping up a cosmetic continuity that keeps chavismo’s skeletons in power.
Let’s also be clear-eyed about the type of operation carried out: it was tactically brilliant and removed a dangerous criminal from the field, but tactical success does not erase the hard work ahead. Military precision bought time; what comes next is a political task that must be led by brave Venezuelans, backed by firm American resolve and concrete plans to restore rule of law, property rights, and honest elections. If we fail to seize this moment with clarity and strength, old networks of corruption and repression will regroup and betray the Venezuelan people again.
Washington must resist the easy, dangerous temptation to cut deals with representatives of the old regime who will only preserve their power behind a different name. The real centers of corruption and coercion remain embedded in Venezuela’s security apparatus, and analysts warn that the military and intelligence chiefs — not Rodriguez herself — may call the shots unless a genuine transition disbands those networks. The United States should insist on concrete steps: release political prisoners, international scrutiny of security forces, and immediate pathways to free, internationally monitored elections.
Patriotic Americans who cherish freedom should stand with Venezuelan democrats like Machado and with the brave exiles who have kept the flame alive for years. We must support policies that empower legitimate opposition leaders, cut off corrupt cadres, and rebuild Venezuelan institutions so refugees and veterans of repression can go home with dignity. This is not charity — it is a strategic, moral imperative to remove a lawless regime and restore a nation to its people.
Finally, remember what’s at stake: thousands of political prisoners, a hemisphere poisoned by drug money and foreign proxies, and millions of desperate Venezuelan families who long for the simple dignity of safety and work. Voices like Leopoldo López and other opposition leaders warn that the job is far from finished and that Americans must remain vigilant and proud in our support for liberty. Now is the time for the United States to double down on principled, muscular diplomacy and practical aid — and to back the Venezuelans who truly earned their freedom.
