President-elect Donald Trump says Venezuela's embattled opposition leader must be protected as President Nicolas Maduro takes the oath of office for a third six-year term.

President-elect Donald Trump gave Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a stern warning on Thursday not to harm his country’s opposition leader.

President-elect Donald Trump urged Venezuela not to harm opposition leader María Corina Machado after she was briefly arrested on Thursday, in his first public comments on the country’s disputed election.