President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt warning to figures still aligned with Nicolás Maduro, signalling that Venezuela’s remaining power brokers must either submit to U.S. demands or negotiate on Washington’s terms.
Trump has said the United States would oversee Venezuela until what he described as “a safe and proper and judicious transition” could take place.
However, Maduro’s political allies continue to exercise control, leaving uncertainty over how Washington intends to implement that claim.
Details of any U.S.-led governing arrangement remain unclear. Trump has said leadership would be handled by a “group,” adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in contact with Rodríguez.
President Donald Trump has delivered a blunt warning to figures still aligned with Nicolás Maduro, signalling that Venezuela’s remaining power brokers must either submit to U.S. demands or negotiate on Washington’s terms.
According to Fox News’ Benjamin Hall, Trump revealed he had spoken directly with Maduro roughly a week before the U.S. strike on Caracas.
During that call, Trump issued what Hall described as an ultimatum, pressing the Venezuelan leader to step aside. Trump later said Maduro rejected the demand and was “not willing.”
Hall said the central challenge for the United States now lies with senior officials who continue to back Maduro, noting that their continued presence complicates Washington’s objectives.
Despite Maduro’s capture, those allies remain embedded within Venezuela’s governing structure.
One of them is Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime member of Maduro’s inner circle, who has since been sworn in as interim president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court.
On Saturday, Rodríguez publicly called for Maduro’s release, declaring he was the “only president.”
Trump has said the United States would oversee Venezuela until what he described as “a safe and proper and judicious transition” could take place.
However, Maduro’s political allies continue to exercise control, leaving uncertainty over how Washington intends to implement that claim.
Details of any U.S.-led governing arrangement remain unclear. Trump has said leadership would be handled by a “group,” adding that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been in contact with Rodríguez.
According to Trump, Rodríguez had expressed a willingness to do “whatever the US asks.”
Those remarks contrast sharply with Rodríguez’s public statements, in which she rejected the idea of Venezuela becoming “a colony of an empire.”
Rubio addressed the apparent contradiction during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” declining to commit to working with Maduro’s deputy.
“We’re going to make an assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly in the interim,” he said.
He warned that Washington retains significant pressure tools if cooperation does not follow.
“If they don’t make the right decisions, the United States will retain multiple levers of leverage to ensure that our interests are protected,” Rubio added.
Trump also dismissed the prospect of Venezuela’s opposition stepping into power immediately.
On Saturday, he said opposition leader María Corina Machado lacked both the backing and credibility within the country to assume national leadership.
THE THIRD FORCE
