Technocrat must accommodate US demands while shoring up a regime that is hated by many Venezuelans
US attacks Venezuela – live updates
In her first speech as Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez lambasted the US and pledged fealty to Nicolás Maduro. But the Trump administration has made a cold calculation: she will bow to Washington.
Rodríguez is a political veteran who served as Maduro’s vice-president and oil minister and defended the regime against accusations of terrorism, drug-running and election-stealing, yet for now she is Donald Trump’s favoured option to lead Venezuela. “She’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said.
The US president has not ruled out deploying ground troops but appears to want to “run” Venezuela through Rodríguez, who finds herself in charge of a regime shocked and demoralised by the abduction of Maduro yet still in power.
