Edmundo González was part of an opposition ticket that reportedly won Venezuela's presidential election on July 28, 2024, US News, Times Now

Maria Corina Machado, known affectionately in Venezuela as simply "Maria Corina", is the most vocal of the country's opposition leaders. However, Donald Trump doesn't think she has the support to succeed Nicolas Maduro.

María Corina Machado called for “popular sovereignty” and urged Edmundo González Urrutia to assume leadership as Venezuela’s legitimate president. She said Nicolás Maduro now faces international justice and backed US action after his refusal of a negotiated exit.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Sunday that the United States did not plan to directly govern Venezuela, appearing to contradict statements by President Trump a day earlier, as top Venezuelan officials projected an official line of defiance a day after a U.S. raid captured President Nicolás Maduro.

In October, Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize that Trump coveted and publicly campaigned for.

The U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military operation early Saturday morning, leaving the nation without a leader.

Edmundo González, a 76-year-old Venezuelan diplomat and former ambassador, is emerging as the likely leader of a post-Maduro Venezuela. He became the opposition’s unity candidate in the 2024 election after others,