Today, Wednesday, December 10, will likely go down as one of the most important days in history for Venezuela and, eventually, our entire region.
On the other hand, it could very well be one of the worst days of Nicolás Maduro's life.
As I reported earlier, Donald Trump confirmed that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela and "other things are happening," but he didn't specify what those things were. He did say we'd learn about them soon enough.
Meanwhile, Maduro is down there repeating Democrat talking points like he's running for Congress.
Maduro sends a new message to America in English:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 10, 2025
“No more Vietnam!
No more Somalia!
No more Iraq!
No more Afghanistan!
No more Libya!” pic.twitter.com/8qGv6KUT90
Even worse for the illegitimate "president" of the South American nation, he was called out on one of the biggest stages in the world today as the woman who has spent years trying to take him and his predecessor down and bring democracy to Venezuela was officially awarded her Nobel Peace Prize.
María Corina Machado, who has been in hiding since August 2024 and hasn't been in public since January, didn't make it to Oslo for the ceremony — more on that in a minute (I swear I'd watch a movie about how it all went down) — but her presence was felt by everyone around the world who was watching. This wasn't about a worthless prize that means nothing at the end of the day. This was about a movement to eradicate one of the world's most harmful cancers. It brought together important leaders from the U.S. and Latin America, ordinary Venezuelans who live in exile because they had to flee their own homeland, and people like myself in the U.S. who watched from afar but who are rooting for this country to return to its former excellence with everything we've got.
What surprised me the most about the ceremony was that Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, took time to call Maduro out and warn him that he must relinquish power, while making the presentation.
"Your power is not permanent. Your violence will not prevail over people who rise and resist. Mr. Maduro, accept the election results and step down," he said as the crowd erupted into cheers outside. Here's the video. It gave me chills:
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee at the #NobelPeacePrize Ceremony today, 10 December.
— Nobel Peace Center (@NobelPeaceOslo) December 10, 2025
«Your power is not permanent. Your violence will not prevail over people who rise and resist. Mr. Maduro, accept the election results and step down.»
As Ana Corina… pic.twitter.com/xYxL1zTYi5
As I said, Machado herself didn't make it to the ceremony, but her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted on her behalf, giving an optimistic speech that would make her mother proud.
"Venezuela will breathe again," she said. Here's more:
We will open prison doors and watch thousands who were unjustly detained step into the warm sun, embraced at last by those who never stopped fighting for them. We will see grandmothers settle children on their laps to tell them stories, not of distant forefathers, but of their own parents' courage. We will see our students debate ideas passionately and without fear, their voices rising freely at last. We will hug again. Fall in love again. Hear our streets filled with laughter and music again. And all the simple joys of the world that we have taken for granted will be ours.
My dear Venezuelans, the world has marveled at what we have achieved. And soon, it will witness one of the most moving sights of our time: our loved ones coming home. And I will stand again on the Simón Bolívar Bridge, where I once cried over the thousands who were leaving and welcome them back into the luminous life that awaits us. Because, in the end, our journey toward freedom has always lived inside us. We are returning to ourselves. We are turning home.
🇳🇴🇻🇪‼️ | ÚLTIMA HORA — En un discurso histórico, Ana Corina Sosa proclamó ante el mundo, a nombre de su mamá María Corina Machado, que “la paz es un acto de amor… Venezuela volverá a respirar”, evocando el regreso de los presos políticos, el retorno de los exiliados y la… pic.twitter.com/eeGIGIsmgg
— UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) December 10, 2025
Now, here's something that truly fascinates me. How would Machado get to Oslo? Maduro would love nothing more than to arrest her and parade her around as his own prize because she merely exists and because she's dedicated her life to fighting the socialism and corruption that has ruined the country and our entire hemisphere. He has threatened that if she left she would be captured.
According to the Wall Street Journal, her journey began on Monday and took a lot of effort...and bravery. And a wig and a disguise. And some international assistance. The journey began on land, where she had to make her way through 10 military checkpoints. After 10 hours, she reached a small fishing village, where a skiff awaited. Around 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, she and the two people who accompanied her took the boat on a path across the windy and choppy Caribbean Sea to Curaçao.
Apparently this was all coordinated by an underground network that helps people escape Venezuela, along with the U.S. government, and they've been planning it for the last two months. Tuesday, while this was going on, two U.S. Navy F-18s flew into the Gulf of Venezuela and "spent roughly 40 minutes flying in tight circles near the route that would lead from the coast to Curaçao." I know several of my social media sources were tracking these flights, but, at the time, none of us knew they were protecting her journey.
The WSJ reports that the boat made it to Curaçao around 3 p.m., but she was too exhausted to continue and spent the night in a hotel under the watch of a private contractor who specializes in extractions. On Wednesday morning, a private jet from Miami picked her up and set out for the journey toward Oslo, where I believe she landed just about an hour ago. This is allegedly her in the plane upon arrival.
Primera imagen de María Corina en Oslo.
— Orlando Avendaño (@OrlvndoA) December 11, 2025
Foto de Getty. pic.twitter.com/UxhWRqlWT9
It's believed that she'll lay low in Oslo for a few days, spending time with her family, including her children and her 84-year-old mother whom she hasn't seen in a long time. The WSJ reports that living in isolation and not eating well have taken a toll on her, and she'll need to rest. She then plans to meet with European leaders to help drum up support for what's coming in Venezuela, and she will eventually come to Washington, D.C.
On a personal note, I've been following Machado for a long time. She's an incredibly impressive woman — many say she's Latin America's Margaret Thatcher — who has literally dedicated her life to freeing her country from tyranny. I was actually trying to get an interview with her right before she won the Nobel Peace Prize, and, well, let's just say her stock went up before I got there. But either way, I'm excited to see her out in the world. It's one thing to fight for your cause from a bunker via video chat. It's another to stand next to the most important leaders in the world and do the same.
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