South Florida GOP Backs Trump's Venezuela Election Strategy

South Florida’s Republican congressional delegation is rallying behind President Trump’s decision to sideline the 2024 Venezuelan election results, even as they continue to champion opposition leader María Corina Machado’s eventual path to power.

The shift comes after Trump’s dramatic military capture of Nicolás Maduro and his subsequent comments questioning whether Machado has the “respect” needed to lead Venezuela immediately. Instead, the administration is pushing for new elections while working with Maduro allies during the transition.

“It’s not a year thing, it’s a month thing,” Rep. Carlos Giménez told reporters Monday after a press conference in Doral, expressing optimism about the timeline for new Venezuelan elections.

The Miami-area delegation’s position carries significant weight given South Florida’s status as home to the largest Venezuelan diaspora population in the United States. From Doral’s bustling Venezuelan business community to the families who’ve rebuilt their lives in Weston and Aventura, the political developments resonate deeply across Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

Giménez defended Trump’s approach, citing the complex circumstances that forced Machado out of the 2024 race after winning the opposition primary. “I have mixed feelings with that because actually, had María Corina Machado been allowed to run for president, she would be on the top of that ticket, not as vice president,” Giménez explained.

The congressman’s comments reflect the delicate balance South Florida Republicans are striking between supporting Trump’s strategy and maintaining credibility with Venezuelan-American constituents who have long viewed Edmundo González as the legitimate winner of the disputed 2024 election.

For months, the same Republican representatives had consistently backed González, who ran as Machado’s chosen successor after she was barred from the ballot. The United States initially recognized González as the rightful winner, dismissing Maduro’s victory claims as fraudulent.

Now, with Maduro in U.S. custody following what administration officials described as a successful military operation, the political calculus has shifted dramatically. The three Miami-area Republican representatives — Giménez, along with his colleagues representing districts stretching from Kendall to Palm Beach County — all maintain that Machado, last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, will eventually lead Venezuela.

But that “hypothetical reality,” as one congressional aide described it, appears months away at minimum.

The timeline concerns many in South Florida’s Venezuelan community, particularly in areas like Doral where Venezuelan businesses line major corridors and families gather at restaurants and cultural centers to discuss their homeland’s future. Some community leaders worry that delaying recognition of the 2024 results could provide an opening for Maduro loyalists to regroup.

“The community wants to see action, not more waiting,” said one Doral business owner who requested anonymity due to family still in Venezuela. “We’ve been waiting for change for years.”

Trump’s approach involves working with certain Maduro allies deemed acceptable by U.S. intelligence agencies while preparing for new elections that would presumably allow Machado to run without restrictions. The strategy represents a significant departure from the previous administration’s recognition of González based solely on the 2024 results.

Republican sources suggest the decision stems partly from practical considerations about governance and partly from Trump’s assessment that Machado commands broader popular support than González, who many Venezuelans viewed as a placeholder candidate.

The Venezuelan diaspora in South Florida has grown dramatically over the past decade, transforming neighborhoods from Aventura to Pembroke Pines. Venezuelan restaurants, medical practices, and professional services have become fixtures throughout Miami-Dade and Broward, creating an influential political constituency that both parties court aggressively.

Local Venezuelan-American leaders have generally supported the congressional delegation’s measured response, though some express frustration with any delays in restoring democratic governance to their homeland.

The situation has also created interesting political dynamics for South Florida Democrats, who have been largely supportive of recognizing González but now find themselves in the position of potentially criticizing Trump for not moving quickly enough to install a democratically elected Venezuelan government.

Rep. Giménez’s Monday press conference in Doral — held in the heart of South Florida’s Venezuelan community — served as both a celebration of Maduro’s capture and a defense of the administration’s next steps. The choice of location underscored the local significance of Venezuelan political developments.

Sports and entertainment venues throughout South Florida have long served as gathering places for the Venezuelan community, from watch parties during international soccer matches to cultural celebrations that blend Venezuelan traditions with Miami’s multicultural identity.

As the situation develops, South Florida’s congressional delegation faces the challenge of maintaining unity with Trump’s approach while addressing concerns from constituents who have waited years for meaningful change in Venezuela. The coming months will test whether the administration’s timeline for new elections matches the urgency felt in communities from Coral Gables to Boca Raton.

The stakes extend beyond South Florida’s borders, but for the thousands of Venezuelan families who call this region home, the political maneuvering in Washington directly impacts their hopes of eventually returning to a democratic Venezuela — or at least knowing their relatives back home live under legitimate governance.

With Maduro now in U.S. custody and political negotiations underway, South Florida’s Venezuelan community waits to see whether Trump’s strategy delivers the rapid timeline Giménez and his colleagues are promising.