Journalist Maria Alesia Sousa told Newsmax that the recent meeting between Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and U.S. President Donald Trump represents a major shift in U.S.-Latin American relations, particularly in the aftermath of Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power or, at minimum, Washington’s decisive actions to sideline him.
According to Sousa, the tone surrounding Venezuela, and the broader region, has fundamentally changed, and that change is long overdue.
“This is a very important meeting,” Sousa told Newsmax on "Saturday Agenda," emphasizing that countries which were previously misaligned or openly hostile toward the United States are now recalibrating their positions.
The post-Maduro environment, she argued, has created space for diplomacy to cool down and for pragmatic engagement to take hold. In short: fewer ideological tantrums, more adult conversations.
Sousa described the shift as “positive for the region,” noting that the United States is finally paying closer attention to Latin America after years of inconsistent engagement.
She highlighted Trump’s recent meeting with major oil company CEOs as a signal of what comes next, moving away from an oil industry she characterized as having been run “like a criminal cartel” and toward one governed by legitimate capital, transparency, and global standards.
For Venezuela, that shift could be seismic.
Sousa noted that for the past 25 years, the country has effectively served as a sanctuary for drug trafficking organizations and a hub for foreign adversaries, including Iran, Cuba, China, and Russia.
That reality, she said, has made Venezuela not just a regional problem but a direct national security threat to the United States.
“Caracas is a three-hour flight from Florida,” Sousa warned, underscoring how close the danger really is.
Areas controlled by military groups, paramilitaries, and drug cartels are not abstract geopolitical concerns, they are breeding grounds for instability that can spill north quickly.
She also pointed to signs that Nicaragua, another authoritarian regime, is seeking improved relations with Washington. To Sousa, this suggests that renewed U.S. focus is already reshaping regional behavior. When the United States engages seriously, she argued, countries respond.
Sousa welcomed what she sees as a broader strategic pivot by the Trump administration — one that treats Latin America as a priority rather than a perpetual crisis or an afterthought. Ignoring the region, she said, only allowed criminal networks and hostile powers to expand their influence.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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