Trump warns Maduro not to harm Venezuelan opposition leaders after Machado's detention
MIAMI - President-elect Donald Trump issued a stern warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday after the brief detention of prominent opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had been leading massive protests against Maduro's government.
On Truth Social, Trump called on Maduro to ensure the safety of opposition leaders, writing:
"Venezuelan democracy activist María Corina Machado and President-elect González are peacefully expressing the voices and the WILL of the Venezuelan people with hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating against the regime. The great Venezuelan American community in the United States overwhelmingly support a free Venezuela and strongly supported me. These freedom fighters should not be harmed and MUST stay SAFE and ALIVE!"
Machado, a vocal critic of Maduro, was detained after security forces intercepted her convoy following an anti-government rally in Caracas.
Witnesses reported gunfire as her motorcycle was forced off the road and she was forcibly taken away.
Her team revealed that Machado was compelled to record several videos during her detention before being released hours later. The incident has drawn widespread condemnation across Latin America and beyond.
Venezuelan President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia, whose electoral victory has been dismissed by Maduro's regime, condemned the detention, posting on X:
"Very serious! That María Corina is free does not minimize the fact of what took place. She was kidnapped under violent conditions."
Machado had emerged from hiding earlier Thursday to address throngs of protesters in Caracas. "They wanted us to fight each other, but Venezuela is united, we are not afraid," she declared shortly before her arrest.
The protests, which have seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets, come on the eve of Maduro's inauguration for a contested third term. Opposition leaders, including Machado and González, have rejected the election results, presenting what they claim is evidence of massive fraud.
Machado's dramatic detention has sparked outrage and demands for international intervention.
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe questioned whether the United Nations would act to protect her, while others in the region called for immediate accountability.
On Thursday evening, Machado released the following statement through social media, "Today, the Brave People demonstrated how to OVERCOME fear! I have never felt so proud to be Venezuelan. Thank you, thank you, to all the citizens who took to the streets to claim our victory of July 28th and COLLECT IT!"
"My heart goes out to the Venezuelan who was shot when the repressive forces of the regime detained me. I am now in a safe place and with more determination than ever before to continue with you UNTIL THE END!"