Venezuela's Opposition Leader Machado Warns that Country's New Interim Leader Is 'Even More Ruthless' Than Maduro

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado warned that the country's interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, is "even more ruthless" than the ousted leader Nicolás Maduro, accusing her of playing a central role in repression, torture and corruption during the previous government.

In an interview airing Tuesday on CBS Evening News, Machado said Rodríguez was "one of the main architects" of Maduro's system of oppression. "Everybody in Venezuela and abroad knows perfectly who she is and the role she has played," Machado said, rejecting arguments that Rodríguez could credibly oversee a transition.

Rodríguez, Maduro's longtime vice president, was sworn in as interim president on Monday following Maduro's capture and transfer to the United States.

Machado said Rodríguez was closely linked to Venezuela's network of detention and torture sites. Her comments echoed reporting cited during the CBS interview, including accounts from former U.S. hostage negotiator Roger Carstens, who has said the Maduro government detained and tortured Americans arrested on minor charges.

In a previous interview with Fox News on Monday, Machado also denounced Rodríguez as "one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption and narco-trafficking," adding that repression had intensified since Maduro's removal and rejecting the authority of the interim government, even as Washington signaled it would work with Rodríguez for now.

Machado told CBS news that Venezuelans had already chosen who should lead the country. Banned from running in the disputed 2024 election, she backed retired diplomat Edmundo González, whom the U.S. and other governments recognized as the winner after alleging the vote was rigged. Asked whether she should now lead Venezuela, Machado replied, "Absolutely yes," adding, "We are ready and willing to serve our people, as we have been mandated."

Machado acknowledged skepticism from Donald Trump, who said she lacked sufficient "respect" inside Venezuela. She avoided directly criticizing Trump, instead thanking him for ordering Maduro's arrest. "President Trump's leadership and courage has brought Nicolás Maduro to face justice," she said.