New Delhi: Delcy Rodriguez has stepped into Venezuela’s interim presidency at a moment that leaves little room for error, as the country sends mixed signals to the United States while grappling with internal divisions.
Publicly, Venezuela’s leadership has struck a defiant tone. The National Assembly described Nicolas Maduro’s capture as a “kidnapping”, framing the US operation as an attack on national sovereignty.
When Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president, she said she accepted the role with pride, but also with sorrow over what had unfolded. Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino, one of the most powerful faces in the country, has also spoken against the United States, reinforcing a posture of resistance.
But behind the scenes, a different message appears to be emerging. Late last night, Rodriguez released a written statement that moved the focus toward national development and the possibility of cooperation with the United States.
The contrast between her public stance and private outreach has highlighted the tightrope she now has to walk.
She faces pressure from multiple directions at once. Her political base has been built for years on strong anti-imperialist and anti-American rhetoric, sentiments that run deep within the ruling party.
At the same time, senior military leaders are unlikely to take a conciliatory view of Washington after the operation that targeted members of the presidential guard and led to Maduro’s capture.
The pressure has increased after US President Donald Trump warned that refusing to meet American demands could lead to consequences he said might be even worse than what Maduro went through. In a country, which is already fractured by political loyalties and fear, Rodriguez has to now find a path that satisfies no side easily.
Meanwhile, new details have emerged about the scale of the US operation. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said nearly 200 American troops entered Caracas as part of the mission to capture Maduro.
“Nearly 200 of our greatest Americans went downtown in Caracas… and grabbed an indicted individual wanted by American justice, in support of law enforcement, without a single American killed,” he said while speaking to US sailors and shipbuilders in Virginia.
It was the first time a US official had disclosed how many personnel were involved in the raid. Hegseth added that the operation also relied on more than 150 military aircraft performing multiple roles, including strikes on Venezuelan defence systems. It highlights the sheer scale of the mission that changed Venezuela’s political future overnight.
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