Overview
- President Trump said he spoke by phone with Delcy Rodríguez on January 14 and called her “a fantastic person.”
- Rodríguez asserts she is Venezuela’s acting leader following Nicolás Maduro’s capture, and the White House says her team has been very cooperative.
- Chavista envoy Félix Plasencia is expected in Washington to discuss reopening Venezuela’s embassy, signaling deeper engagement.
- María Corina Machado is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on January 15 as she seeks to rebuild the opposition’s standing after Trump questioned her domestic leadership.
- U.S. officials frame their approach as pragmatic, prioritizing stabilization and Venezuelan oil, with Trump announcing an oil agreement with the interim government.