New interim leader for Venezuela as Trump sends warning | US | News

Following the US capture of leader Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan politician Delcy Rodríguez took charge of the South American country and was given a stern warning by President Donald Trump.

Venezuela’s presidential website late Sunday, Jan. 4, uploaded images and statements of the longtime vice president presiding over an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers in the capital Caracas.

Officials confirmed that the meeting was the first cabinet meeting led by Rodríguez. In the statement, it was stated that this was his first meeting as the acting president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilla Flores, 69, were captured in an overnight raid by an elite squadron of the US military on Saturday, January 3. The 12-year Venezuelan leader was named a dictator and indicted on drug and terrorism charges in a court in the Southern District of New York in 2020.

His wife and four others may be indicted by the United States on narco-terrorism conspiracy and other charges, according to documents U.S. Attorney Pam Bondi posted online Saturday morning after the couple’s capture.

In addition to the narco-terrorism conspiracy charge, the indictment alleges four other crimes: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Rodríguez said in a statement that he hoped to establish “respectful relations” with Trump and his country. He invited the US government to “collaborate with us on a cooperation agenda for common development within the framework of international law to strengthen the lasting coexistence of the community.”

In the same press release, Rodríguez branded Maduro’s ouster as a “temporary absence” before accusing the United States of “kidnapping” the ousted president and his wife. He described the incident as an illegal act of aggression.

State television did not broadcast a formal swearing-in ceremony, and Rodríguez refrained from publicly declaring himself interim leader in a televised speech Sunday.

A scrolling sign at the bottom of his speech still labeled him as vice president and made no mention of a political transition or top leadership change.

Rodríguez also appeared to reject Trump’s claim that he would cooperate with the United States.

“What happened to Venezuela is an atrocity that violates international law… history and justice will make the extremists who encouraged this armed attack pay the price,” he said in his speech.

On Sunday, Trump warned that Rodríguez would “pay a very big price, probably a bigger price than Maduro” if he didn’t cooperate.

Trump’s comments came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in his own television interviews on Sunday that he did not view Rodríguez or his government as “legitimate” because Venezuela has not held free and fair elections, the Associated Press reported.