Trump calls Venezuelas Delcy Rodríguez terrific, meets opposition the next day

United States President Donald Trump spoke to Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez and described her as a “terrific person” in a phone call on Wednesday. He went on to meet with opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House on Thursday. In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump said his phone call with Rodríguez was “very good.” “We are making tremendous progress, as we help Venezuela stabilize and recover,” he wrote, adding that they discussed topics including oil, minerals, trade, and national security. Trump said there was a “spectacular” partnership between the countries.  “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!” he wrote. In a press conference, Trump called Rodríguez “a terrific person” and said that his administration is “getting along really well with Venezuela.” Rodríguez took office in Venezuela after a U.S. strike there earlier this month, which ended with the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez was serving as Maduro’s vice president, and was sworn in to replace him.  Maduro is being held in a New York jail, facing drug trafficking charges. In a departure from her usual anti-imperialist discourse, Rodríguez called the conversation with Trump “long and cordial” in an X post. She said it was “conducted in a spirit of mutual respect” and that they “discussed a bilateral agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending issues between our governments.” She did not mention Maduro in her post. The previous day, Rodríguez had announced “a new political moment” for her country, which would allow “for understanding despite differences and political and ideological diversity.”  She said that over 400 prisoners had been released, although human rights organizations claim the true figure is closer to 100 as of Thursday. It is estimated that Maduro was holding around 900 people in prison for political reasons. Rights reports found that many of them experienced torture. On Thursday, Trump finally held a much-delayed meeting with Machado, a prominent opposition leader who led a 2024 presidential campaign that fielded diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia. (Machado herself, while more prominent, was barred from running.) According to the opposition and international observers, González Urrutia won the presidential election. However, Maduro claimed without giving evidence that he had won. According to the New York Times and other outlets, Trump chose Rodríguez over Machado to run the country after Maduro’s capture due to the Chavista leader’s relationship with oil companies, the military, and other elements of the country’s apparatus of power. The reports said that the U.S. president thought Machado was unprepared to lead a transition.  Some also claimed that he held a grudge against her for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, which he covets. After those articles were published, Machado announced she wanted to give her prize to Trump to thank him for his government’s military operation in Venezuela. Before the meeting, U.S. press secretary Karoline Leavitt called Machado “a remarkable and brave voice for many of the people of Venezuela.” She added that Trump was committed to “hopefully” seeing new elections in Venezuela, but said she did not “have an updated timetable.” After the meeting, Machado said to the press that she “counted on President Trump for the freedom of Venezuela.” A representative of Machado’s party said Rodríguez’s call with Trump showed that the Venezuelan government is under U.S. “tutelage.” “The United States is asking Chavismo itself to dismantle the entire system it has created in recent years, which is the Chavista dictatorial regime,” the source said. “We see this as a clear sign that the United States has control over Rodríguez.”