The idea of the United States directly governing Venezuela may be fading, but the threat of another intervention looms large. And this is where the situation gets even more complicated. After the shocking abduction of President Nicolás Maduro, the U.S. has made it clear that it’s not backing down entirely. While the immediate takeover seems less likely, Washington is keeping a 15,000-strong force in the Caribbean, ready to act if Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, doesn’t play by their rules.
But here’s where it gets controversial: despite Rodríguez’s public defiance, her private conversations with U.S. officials remain shrouded in mystery. Is she truly standing up to U.S. demands, or is there more to the story? Following Maduro’s capture on Saturday, Donald Trump boldly declared that the U.S. would ‘run’ Venezuela, a nation of 30 million people. By Sunday, he was warning Rodríguez to comply with U.S. wishes, threatening severe consequences if she didn’t. ‘If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,’ he told The Atlantic.
Rodríguez, 56, had pledged loyalty to Maduro and condemned his capture as an ‘atrocity.’ However, The New York Times revealed that Trump officials had identified her weeks earlier as a potential successor and business partner, partly due to her ties with Wall Street and oil companies. Is this a pragmatic choice, or a calculated move to maintain control?
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Rodríguez told him, ‘We’ll do whatever you need,’ though Trump added, ‘She really doesn’t have a choice.’ In Caracas, senior government and military figures demanded Maduro’s return but pledged support for Rodríguez as an interim leader, urging a return to normalcy. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez called on Venezuelans to resume their daily activities, from work to education, in a televised address.
But the U.S. isn’t stopping at Venezuela. Trump hinted at potential interventions elsewhere, stating, ‘We do need Greenland, absolutely.’ This sparked outrage, with Greenland’s prime minister protesting after Katie Miller, wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff, posted a social media image of Greenland in U.S. flag colors with the word ‘soon.’
In a series of TV interviews, Rubio downplayed the possibility of a full-scale invasion of Venezuela. ‘There’s not a war,’ he told NBC. ‘We are at war against drug trafficking organizations, not Venezuela. We don’t have U.S. forces on the ground.’ He described the brief presence of troops in Caracas as a ‘law enforcement function’ that didn’t require congressional approval, insisting, ‘This was not an invasion.’
However, the U.S. plans to maintain a ‘quarantine’ around Venezuela, blocking oil tankers under American sanctions to keep pressure on Maduro’s successor. ‘We are going to make our assessment on the basis of what they do, not what they say publicly,’ Rubio warned. He added that the U.S. has ‘multiple levers of influence’ to respond if Venezuela’s leaders make the ‘wrong’ decisions. But is this diplomacy or dominance?
Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, tempered Trump’s vow to run Venezuela, noting that ‘there are still a lot of questions to be answered’ about the next steps. Meanwhile, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay issued a joint statement condemning U.S. actions as ‘an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security.’ Keir Starmer, while refusing to condemn the attack, confirmed Britain’s non-involvement.
All EU countries, except Hungary, called for restraint and respect for the Venezuelan people’s will to ‘restore democracy.’ In Caracas, life tried to resume its course, with shops and cafes reopening, but the cost of Saturday’s raid was still being tallied. Long queues formed outside stores as residents stocked up on essentials, fearful of a ‘second wave’ of attacks, as Trump suggested.
‘There’s so much uncertainty,’ said a 71-year-old pensioner waiting outside a grocery store. ‘Nobody wants to see another situation like Saturday or to be caught unprepared.’ His 68-year-old wife, fighting back tears, expressed hope for dialogue, peace, and an end to the crisis.
Outside a large supermarket in Petare, a young couple waited in a 100-person line to buy milk, butter, and flour. ‘I feel angry,’ said Sauriany, 23. ‘They don’t have the right to meddle like this in another country.’ Her partner, Leandro, 24, noted that streets were deserted as parents kept children home, fearing the worst.
In neighboring Colombia, President Gustavo Petro deployed 30,000 troops to the border, bracing for potential violence or a refugee influx. Padrino López confirmed that many of Maduro’s security team, soldiers, and civilians were killed in the raid, with unverified reports estimating 40 deaths. He vowed that the armed forces would resist ‘imperial aggression’ and protect Venezuela’s sovereignty.
The White House released footage of Maduro, handcuffed, being taken to Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New York before being detained in Brooklyn. Authorities unsealed an indictment charging Maduro with narco-terrorism and cocaine conspiracy, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, their son, and other officials. Maduro is set to appear in a Manhattan federal court on Monday.
This prosecution deepens the humiliation for Maduro’s loyalists and complicates Rodríguez’s balancing act. As a former vice-president and oil minister, she must navigate Washington’s demands for oil and security while managing a regime rooted in Hugo Chávez’s socialism and anti-imperialism.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello pledged loyalty to Maduro but tacitly supported Rodríguez. ‘The unity of the revolutionary force is more than guaranteed,’ he said. However, the Trump administration’s apparent satisfaction with a regime tweak, rather than full change, has disappointed Venezuelans hoping for democracy.
Trump dismissed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, claiming she lacked ‘support’ in Venezuela. While millions revere her, she is despised by the military hierarchy propping up the regime.
Rubio emphasized the U.S. desire for a democratic transition but ruled out short-term elections, stating that Venezuela’s military and police leaders must decide their path. ‘We hope they choose a different direction than Nicolás Maduro,’ he said. ‘Ultimately, we hope this leads to a holistic transition.’
In Caracas, joggers and cyclists returned to the streets, but residents remain uneasy about the future. As the dust settles, one question lingers: Will Venezuela find stability, or is this just the calm before another storm? What do you think? Is the U.S. overstepping its bounds, or is this necessary intervention? Let’s discuss in the comments.
