President Donald Trump said the leader of the Venezuelan opposition doesn’t have the “respect” of the country to govern following the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The U.S. led a series of strikes in the South American country early Saturday, eventually capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and taking them to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism charges.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado celebrated the operation and capture in a statement, calling it the “hour of freedom.”

Why Venezuela? Trump’s shifting explanations about military buildup

“As of today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against the Venezuelan people and against citizens of many other nations. In light of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the Government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to uphold the rule of law,” Machado said.

Trump, who said he has not been in contact with Machado, said during a press conference on Saturday that he doesn’t believe she can assume the leadership role in Venezuela.

“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,” Trump said.

Maria Corina Machado, laureate of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, speaks during a news conference in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 11, 2025.Lars Martin Hunstad/Bloomberg via Getty Images.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado celebrated the operation and capture in a statement, calling it the “hour of freedom.”

Why Venezuela? Trump’s shifting explanations about military buildup

“As of today, Nicolás Maduro faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against the Venezuelan people and against citizens of many other nations. In light of his refusal to accept a negotiated solution, the Government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to uphold the rule of law,” Machado said.

Trump, who said he has not been in contact with Machado, said during a press conference on Saturday that he doesn’t believe she can assume the leadership role in Venezuela.

“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,” Trump said.

Maria Corina Machado, laureate of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, speaks during a news conference in Oslo, Norway, on Dec. 11, 2025.Lars Martin Hunstad/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

Independent exit polls showed González Urrutia received two-thirds of the votes, and the U.S. said “overwhelming evidence” supported his victory, but Maduro claimed he won the election and did not cede power.

ABC News’ Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz told “Good Morning America Weekend” that it’s unclear how the military will respond to the ousting of Maduro and that the U.S. is keeping an eye on the situation.

“Today, we are ready to enforce our mandate and to take power. Let us remain vigilant, active, and organized until the Democratic Transition is achieved — a transition that requires each and every one of us.” Machado said.

Alarcón told ABC News Live that many Venezuelans are celebrating the downfall of Maduro but want to make sure his regime isn’t replaced by a similar one.

This includes not installing any of Maduro’s allies who are still in Venezuela or another figure who doesn’t respect the “democratic will of the Venezuelan people,” she explained.

People celebrate at the Bolivar square in Caracas on January 3, 2026, after US forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

“What I would like to see is for those still in power in Venezuela to receive guarantees, to exit peacefully, and to give way to the liberty that so many Venezuelans here in Doral, where I live… were screaming and chanting and wanting and that means liberty from everyone and to see the country governed by those who we elected,” she said.

Venezuelan-American journalist José Enrique Arrioja, speaking to ABC News’ Gio Benitez, called the operation a “shocking series of events” and a “historical moment” for both Venezuela and Latin America.

Arrioja, who has been covering financial markets and politics in Latin America for more than two decades and is the managing editor of the magazine Americas Quarterly, said the operation showed a bold new strategy the Trump administration would be taking in the region.

“It has been a very [mixed] reaction. The situation in Caracas as we speak right now, Gio, is calm. People buying groceries, buying basic staples ahead of might be vary uncertain week, if not months, ahead,” Arrioja said.

“We have a regime that was widely unpopular since last year when they usurped power after the July 28 elections,” he continued. “It has been just dealing with an increased repression, more authoritarian regime.”

US captures Maduro, carries out ‘large scale strike’ in Venezuela: Trump

Maduro’s supporters condemn US operation

While many detractors celebrated Maduro’s capture, his supporters condemned the U.S. for carrying out the operation.

Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addressed the nation on state television demanding the release of Maduro and saying he is the only president of the country.

“We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses, under false pretexts, and that the masks had fallen and it had only one objective: regime change in Venezuela — and the capture of our energy, mineral, and natural resources,” she said in an address in Spanish. “That is the true objective, and the world and the international community must know it.”

“We have convened this National Defense Council. … From here, we demand the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The only president of Venezuela: President Nicolas Maduro.”

Rodriguez called on civilians and armed forces across the country to mobilize and to defend the country.

United as a nation, the Venezuelan people will find a path of peace and calm. Those who resort to force, those who resort to violating international law — they do not have right or reason on their side,” she said. “We have historical right and moral right on our side, and we will stand firm in defending peace, calm, Venezuela’s future, the people’s claim to their homeland, and their right to hope and social well-being.”

Rodriguez’s comments demanding for the “immediate release” of Maduro contradict what Trump said she had told Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a “long” phone conversation held Saturday.

Trump claimed on Saturday that Rodriguez said she is ready to work with Washington and that “she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

ABC News’ Dada Jovanovic and Victoria Moll Rordriguez contributed to this report.