Democrats are scoffing at President Donald Trump after a striking moment at the White House — even as their own leaders quietly admit they mishandled Venezuela when it mattered most.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized President Trump during an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, taking issue with Trump accepting a symbolic Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado during her January visit to the White House.
Warner questioned the administration’s long-term strategy in Venezuela, despite acknowledging that Democrats failed to act when Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly to remove socialist strongman Nicolás Maduro.
By Warner’s own admission, the Biden administration did not press hard enough after the 2024 election, allowing Maduro to remain in power far longer than voters wanted.
Still, Warner mocked President Trump for accepting the medal from Machado, suggesting the moment was inappropriate and politically awkward. He also claimed that removing Maduro did not fully dismantle the system that allowed political persecution and imprisonment to occur.
Machado strongly disagrees.
A longtime supporter of President Trump’s tough stance against socialist regimes, Machado has credited Trump with helping bring international pressure that ultimately forced Maduro out. When she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, she publicly dedicated the honor to President Trump and to the people of Venezuela.
During her White House visit, Machado presented Trump with the medal as a gesture of gratitude and historical symbolism.
She compared the moment to an exchange from two centuries ago, when European allies honored Simón Bolívar with a medal bearing George Washington’s image — framing Trump as a modern defender of liberty in the Western Hemisphere.
Following Maduro’s removal, speculation emerged over whether Machado would immediately lead Venezuela. Instead, President Trump supported a transitional plan involving Delcy Rodríguez — a move Machado has sharply criticized.
In a recent Fox News interview, Machado accused Rodríguez of being deeply connected to corruption, political repression, and hostile foreign powers such as Russia, China, and Iran. She argued that Rodríguez lacks legitimacy among Venezuelans and would discourage international investment.
Machado made clear she intends to run again once free and fair elections are held.
She said the opposition already won once under unfair conditions and predicted a landslide victory if Venezuelans are finally allowed to vote freely.
While Democrats laugh and nitpick from television studios, the episode highlights a growing political contrast: President Trump taking visible action on the world stage — and Democrats still defending a foreign-policy record many voters see as a failure.