Donald Trump says Venezuela's embattled opposition leader must be protected, as President Nicolas Maduro prepares to take the oath again after allegedly stealing an election.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said she is now safe after her aides said she was “intercepted” at a protest in Caracas on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration.

Machado was released after a brief detention while leaving a protest in Caracas Thursday on the eve of President Nicolas Maduro’s inauguration.