Machado Returns to Venezuela, Visits Quake-Stricken La Guaira

María Corina Machado met journalists Thursday at midday in Venezuela, her first press availability since returning to the country on Sunday. She said the three-phase plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump for Venezuela is moving forward and called the political transition irreversible.

Machado traveled Wednesday to La Guaira, the coastal state hit hardest by the double earthquake of June 24, and met residents affected by the disaster in several parts of the region. Her campaign team published photos and video of the trip on X. The Comando con Venezuela said her priority from the first day was to be in Vargas, the older name for La Guaira, alongside its people.

Her team said she surveyed the state and saw the destruction firsthand after the events of June 24. Machado said in a post that seeing the damage up close hurts, but hearing families describe their stories and their resolve reaffirms one commitment: not to leave them alone.

Machado re-entered Venezuela on Sunday from Lara state, where she appeared in public for the first time after crossing the border, then led a convoy of vehicles to Caracas. Since returning, she has met members of her party Vente Venezuela, relatives of political prisoners and people affected by rights violations, leaders of the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática coalition, and representatives of the Alianza por Venezuela, a group of smaller social and political organizations.

The press conference Thursday was the first she has held since arriving back in the country. Machado holds the Nobel Peace Prize and has been a leading figure in Venezuela's opposition.

Her statements on the transition follow her return after several earlier attempts to enter the country did not succeed.