**Trump has publicly distanced himself from endorsing María Corina Machado as Venezuela’s next president, citing insufficient domestic support and prioritizing stability under interim leadership.** Following the January 2026 U.S. operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, Trump stated that Machado lacks the “support and respect” needed to govern, instead backing Delcy Rodríguez as acting president and deepening ties with elements of the prior regime. Administration officials later described Machado’s efforts to return amid earthquakes as “grotesque political opportunism,” blocking or discouraging her travel to avoid complicating relief and risking unrest. Machado has maintained alignment with Trump—praising the operation, offering him her Nobel Peace Prize medal during White House meetings, and reiterating Venezuela’s future as a U.S. ally—yet these gestures have not produced an endorsement. Recent reporting through mid-2026 shows Trump tempering her ambitions, advising against an immediate return for security reasons, while polls indicate she leads potential 2026 contenders. The 2026 election timeline remains fluid under the U.S.-influenced transition roadmap focused on stabilization before elections, with no scheduled endorsement and structural preference for the current interim arrangement reinforcing trader expectations against a Trump endorsement.