Machado made her first reported public appearance at the Church of Santa Rosa in Lara state, in western Venezuela, where worshippers quickly surrounded her, according to her campaign team.

Her return presents a political challenge to interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who took office after U.S. forces captured former leader Nicolás Maduro in January. Machado has called for elections to be held soon, but the Trump administration has said Venezuela should stabilize before an election takes place. The administration has also repeatedly sidelined Machado despite her standing in the opposition.

Machado went into hiding in Venezuela in January 2025 after being briefly detained following a protest. She later left the country in a clandestine escape and reappeared in Norway that December, where she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful opposition to Maduro’s government.

Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate who ran against Maduro in the disputed 2024 presidential election and is now in exile in Spain, confirmed Machado’s return in a post on X. He called it “a very important day for Venezuelans” and said he expected to join her soon to help the country advance toward freedom.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the White House on Sunday, said he knew nothing about Machado’s return. He called her “a very nice woman,” said she had given him her Nobel Prize and added, “I hope she’s safe.”