Venezuela's Interim Leader Calls Maduro The 'Legitimate President' Of The CountryA little more than a month after the U.S. captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the country's interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, told NBC's Kristen Welker that Maduro is the "legitimate president" of Venezuela.Both Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges and accused the U.S. of abducting them after they were removed from their country in January."I can tell you that President Nicolás Maduro is the legitimate president. I can, I will tell you this as the lawyer that I am. They are both, President Maduro and Cilia Flores the first lady, are both innocent," Rodríguez, a Maduro ally, said, according to translation provided by NBC News.Maduro was sworn in for a third term in January 2025 after claiming victory in an election marred by accusations of voter fraud and intimidation.Meanwhile, Rodríguez said she has been invited to travel to the U.S. by the Trump administration."We're contemplating coming there once we've established cooperation and we can, you know, move forward," she told Welker.Read more at NBC News.See All UpdatesClose