By Blessing Nweke
President Donald Trump downplayed comments by acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez stating that Nicolás Maduro is still the “legitimate president of Venezuela,” framing her remarks as a matter of political survival rather than a shift in U.S. policy. Trump made the remarks Monday aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington, saying, “I think she probably has to say that. I think politically, maybe she has to say that,” and adding that Rodríguez was “doing a very good job” in managing relations with the United States.
Rodríguez made the statement last week in an exclusive YourNews interview in Caracas, where she defended Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as innocent and insisted he remains the legitimate head of state — even as both face narco-terrorism conspiracy charges and are in U.S. custody awaiting trial in New York.
The remarks come amid an extraordinary political transition following a U.S. military operation in early January that resulted in Maduro’s capture and removal from power. Top Venezuelan officials condemned the raid as a violation of sovereignty, while Trump described the operation as a reinvigoration of U.S. influence and control over the nation’s strategic oil sector.
Rodríguez, previously Maduro’s vice president, has maintained a nuanced line — expressing openness to working with U.S. officials to revive Venezuela’s energy industry and even receiving an invitation to visit the United States — even as she reiterates her view of Maduro’s legitimacy.
The comments underscore the complexity of U.S.–Venezuela relations, as Washington tries to balance pragmatic engagement with Rodríguez’s interim government while distancing itself from Maduro’s contested legacy and navigating internal Venezuelan political divisions. Venezuelan opposition figures have also been vocal about mistrust of Rodríguez, seeing her leadership as a tactical move rather than a true democratic path forward.
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