The political landscape in Venezuela has dramatically shifted following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by United States forces on January 3, 2026, who was subsequently taken to New York to face charges. In the immediate aftermath, Maduro's Vice-President, Delcy Rodríguez, was installed as acting president by Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal of Justice, leading to a complex and fluid power transition. María Corina Machado, a prominent Venezuelan opposition leader and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, finds herself in a paradoxical position. Despite her strong popular support, evidenced by her landslide victory in the 2023 opposition primaries, and her persistent advocacy for Maduro's ouster, she has been surprisingly sidelined in the initial stages of this transition. On January 15, 2026, Machado is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss Venezuela's future. However, Trump has publicly expressed skepticism about her domestic standing, stating she lacks the "respect" needed to govern, and has signaled support for Delcy Rodríguez as the interim leader. Adding to her challenges, Machado remains legally disqualified from holding public office in Venezuela due to a 15-year ban upheld by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice in January 2024. This ban prevented her from running in the 2024 presidential election, where Edmundo González Urrutia, her replacement, was recognized by the US as the legitimate winner, although Maduro ignored the results. While Machado continues to assert the opposition's mandate to govern, experts suggest her influence might be more significant in the medium to long term rather than immediately in the current, rapidly evolving power game. The headline from dw.com, questioning if Machado could be a 'big loser,' accurately reflects the current uncertainty surrounding her immediate political role amidst these significant developments.