WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Saturday dismissed Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado as a viable leader for Venezuela, stating she lacks “support or respect” within the country. Speaking at a news conference, Trump expressed skepticism about Machado’s potential, saying, “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.”

In response, Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, took to social media to declare, “the hour of freedom has arrived,” urging the opposition’s 2024 presidential candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to assume leadership immediately. Despite her assertions, Trump indicated that the US would prefer to align with Vice President Delcy Rodriguez of the current regime, whom he described as “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

Maintaining a tough stance, Trump confirmed that the US presence in Venezuela would persist until a “proper transition” occurs. He disclosed that American officials and cabinet members would be involved in managing the country temporarily, stating, “We’re going to be running it with a group. We’re designating people.”

In a bold assertion regarding the economic prospects, Trump said, “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 emphasized the intentions to sell large volumes of oil from Venezuela, hinting at the potential deployment of US troops by declaring, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”

Earlier, Trump circulated a photograph of Maduro in US custody aboard a naval ship, indicating that Maduro and his wife would be flown to New York to face serious narcotics and terrorism charges, marking a significant turn in the US approach to Venezuela's political turmoil.