Trump administration engages Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela’s interim president after Nicolás Maduro’s removal, sidelining opposition leader María Corina Machado.
When Nicolás Maduro was removed from power by the United States, many in Washington expected the U.S. to rally behind Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leader.
Instead, the Trump administration moved to engage a longtime Maduro loyalist, signaling a transition strategy driven less by democratic symbolism than by concerns over stability on the ground.
The approach sidelined María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who claims the strongest popular mandate and international profile, while elevating Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and a central figure in the outgoing regime.
Administration officials and outside analysts say the shift reflects a calculated effort to avoid a power vacuum and maintain control during a fragile transition, even as it complicates Washington’s longstanding support for Venezuela’s democratic opposition.
And President Donald Trump is betting Rodríguez now lives in fear of what might happen to her if she defies the U.S.
Trump, describing his phone call with Rodríguez, said she offered: «We’ll do whatever you need.»
«I think she was quite gracious», he said.
But in a separate interview with The Atlantic he warned: «If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.»
Following Maduro’s removal, Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president after the Supreme Court ruled she should assume power in his absence.
Under Venezuela’s constitution, the vice president can serve on an interim basis while the country determines whether and when new elections will be held. While the constitution generally calls for elections within 30 days if a president is permanently unable to serve, authorities have so far described Maduro’s removal as temporary, allowing Rodríguez to remain in office as the timeline for a political transition is debated.
A classified CIA intelligence assessment examined who would be best positioned to lead a temporary government in Caracas, Venezuela, and maintain short-term stability, a source familiar with the intelligence told Fox News Digital. The report, requested by senior policymakers and presented to Trump, aimed to offer the president «comprehensive and objective analysis» on possible scenarios after Maduro’s capture.
