Hello and welcome to the GZero World Podcast. This is where you can find extended versions of my

conversations on public television. I'm Ian Bremmer, and today I am joined by the most prominent

opposition leader in Venezuela. Maria Corina Machado has a long political history as a center-right

opposition figure in Venezuela,

but she became the de facto leader of that opposition during the presidential election last summer.

That's when the regime-friendly electoral council declared Maduro the winner,

despite widespread allegations of fraud,

an international condemnation from the United States and Europe.

But this is more than just a Venezuela story. It's an American one, too. The Biden era saw an

unprecedented influx of Venezuelan migrants to sanctuary cities. Under President Trump's

administration, so far thousands of Venezuelans have been arrested, many already deported. Some of them,

purported gang members, shipped off to a black hole of a prison in El Salvador. And in recent weeks,

President Trump has canceled Venezuelan oil licenses and threatened steep sanctions and tariffs on

Maduro's regime. Those are moves that my guest today, Maria Karina Machado, very much supports.

We'll talk about all of that and more.

So let's get to it.

Here's my conversation with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Karina Machado.

I'm going to it. Maria Karina Machado, welcome to G0 World.

Thank you very much. It's my pleasure.

So I know that you can't tell me exactly where you are right now,

but you are in Venezuela, in hiding, as befits the situation.

Tell me what life is like in Venezuela for the average person today. Well, life in Venezuela, it's getting tougher and tougher by today.

...