Adam Kinzinger wants to broker a deal with the Venezuelan military to put María Corina Machado in power
Among the people raising alarm bells against Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is longtime Trump critic Adam Kinzinger. On January 4, 2025, the former United States Representative took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his opinions on the matter, including what he would like to see happen to the country in the future.
On Sunday, Adam Kinzinger mentioned in his X post that he would like to see María Corina Machado take on the role of president of Venezuela after Nicolás Maduro’s capture, as she is the “rightful” leader of the nation. He also recommended that the U.S. government should be having discussions with the Venezuelan military to ensure and “support” her installation to power, as she was the one elected by the people but was denied her position illegally by Maduro and his supporters. In his post, Kinzinger stated:
“The RIGHTFUL president of Venezuela. The US needs to be negotiating with Venezuelan military to support her installation in power. She was elected by the people and denied the position illegally. Free Venezuela.”
Kinzinger, promoting the appointment of María Corina Machado in place of Nicolás Maduro, is not the first time he has addressed this issue. On January 4, 2026, he shared another post on his X account where he expressed his happiness over Maduro’s capture by the US but mentioned that the country did not have a plan for the next steps, especially regarding who should take Maduro’s place as the President of Venezuela. He wrote:
“Maduro gone is a fantastic thing. He’s bad. This administration however seems to have no plan to actually ensure the rightful President takes over.”
Who is María Corina Machado?
María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan politician and activist, leads the opposition against significant figures such as Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. She served in the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2011 to 2014 and was almost ready to run for the 2024 presidential elections until her plans were disrupted by attempts to prevent her from competing against Nicolás Maduro.
In 2023, María Corina Machado won the primary opposition to become a valid candidate for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections, but was later stopped from running and holding public office for 15 years because of certain administrative and fiscal violations from her time as a legislator.
After the elections, Machado went into hiding, fearing for her life. Following Maduro’s capture, Machado has gained prominence among Venezuelans once again, who are considering her as a replacement for him.
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