President Donald Trump claimed Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was cooperating with the U.S. after Nicolás Maduro's arrest, but Rodríguez publicly condemned the operation and called for Maduro's release, revealing a clear gap between U.S. statements and those from Caracas.
Speaking from Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump said the U.S. would effectively oversee Venezuela's transition following the overnight operation that removed Maduro from power, describing Rodríguez as an interim leader willing to work with Washington.
"She said, 'We'll do whatever you need,'" Trump said. "I think she was quite gracious. But she really doesn't have a choice."
Rodríguez's public remarks quickly contradicted that account.
In a nationally televised address, she called the U.S. action an "illegal kidnapping," labeled it "shameful" and demanded the release of Maduro and his wife, first lady Cilia Flores.
She warned against Venezuela becoming a "colony of an empire" and invoked the legacy of former President Hugo Chávez and independence leader Simón Bolívar.
Rodríguez appeared flanked by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, signaling continued cohesion among senior figures in Venezuela's security apparatus despite Maduro's removal.
Rodríguez, a lawyer and diplomat educated in Caracas, Paris, and London, has previously led negotiations with Washington and cultivated ties with business leaders, positioning her as a pragmatic figure inside Maduro's inner circle.
The competing narratives highlighted uncertainty inside a country shaped for more than two decades by the socialist project launched by Chávez in 1999.
The Trump administration has said it aims to dismantle the existing authoritarian system and open Venezuela's economy, including the world's largest proven oil reserves, to broader international access.
Trump dismissed opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, as lacking sufficient domestic support to govern, despite her movement's electoral success in 2024. Reuters has widely profiled Machado for her role in challenging the Maduro government.
On the streets of Caracas, the immediate response appeared subdued.
Motorists lined up at gas stations, supermarkets limited entry to prevent looting, and there was no visible surge in military patrols, according to the Washington Post.
Under Venezuela's constitution, the vice president assumes interim authority if the president is absent during the first year of a term, with an election required within 30 days.
An English translation of the Venezuelan constitution is available through the Georgetown Political Database of the Americas.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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