Trump Says Nobel Laureate Machado Lacks 'Support Or Respect' To Lead Venezuela

Last Updated:January 03, 2026, 23:49 IST

Trump also made clear that the US presence in Venezuela is likely to continue until a “proper transition” is in place.

Maria Corina Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. (IMAGE: AP file)

US President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential leader of Venezuela, saying she does not have the “support or respect" within the country.

Speaking at a news conference, Trump said, “I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect."

Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, posted on social media that “the hour of freedom has arrived" and called for the opposition’s 2024 candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to immediately assume the presidency.

However, Trump said the US would instead work with Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, who he claimed is “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again."

Trump also made clear that the US presence in Venezuela is likely to continue until a “proper transition" is in place. He confirmed that American officials and cabinet members would be part of running the country temporarily, saying, “We’re going to be running it with a group. We’re designating people."

The US president stressed that the operation in Caracas, which saw special forces capture Maduro and his wife, was about more than law enforcement. “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure," he said. “We’ll be selling large amounts of oil."

Trump also hinted at the possible deployment of US troops, stating, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground."

Earlier, Trump shared a photograph of Maduro in US custody aboard a naval ship, blindfolded, handcuffed, and wearing noise-cancelling ear muffs. Maduro and his wife are being flown to New York to face narcotics and terrorism charges.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world Trump Says Nobel Laureate Machado Lacks 'Support Or Respect' To Lead Venezuela

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