Trump warns new Venezuelan leader as Maduro set to appear in court

Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s new leader, Delcy Rodríguez, that if he doesn’t “do the right thing” he could “pay a very big price, probably a bigger price than Maduro.”

His comments to US magazine The Atlantic came as the country’s deposed president, Nicolás Maduro, was due to appear in a New York court on Monday.

The USA accuses Maduro, who is accused of drug trafficking and weapons crimes, of running a “narco-terrorist” regime, but Maduro denies this allegation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted the US was not at war with Venezuela after airstrikes in Caracas on Saturday resulted in the detention and transfer of Maduro and his wife to the US.

Some Democratic lawmakers said the operation was an “act of war.”

In an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said of Rodríguez: “If he doesn’t do the right thing, he’s going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”

“Regime change, whatever you call it, is better than what you have now. It can’t be worse,” he added of Venezuela.

On Saturday, Trump promised that the United States would “govern” the country until a “safe, appropriate and reasonable transition” is possible.

Trump also promised that US oil companies would move into the country to repair infrastructure and “start making money for the country.”

Despite the US president’s claims, Maduro’s allies remain in office.

The Cuban government said 32 “brave Cuban warriors” died when US forces attacked and captured Maduro and his wife. Cuba, Maduro’s long-time socialist ally, declared two days of national mourning.

In several TV interviews Sunday morning, Rubio defended the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, emphasizing that the action did not mean the United States was at war with the South American country.

“We are at war against drug trafficking organizations. This is not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio said on NBC’s Meet the Press program on Sunday morning.

The secretary of state also told CBS that if Venezuela “does not make the right decisions,” the United States will “retain multiple tools of pressure to ensure that our interests are protected.”

This includes the US “quarantine” on Venezuelan oil, he said.

“We will evaluate everything based on what they do and see what they do,” he added.

Maduro, the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela and in power since 2013, is accused of frequently suppressing opposition groups and silencing opposition in Venezuela, sometimes using violence.

It is widely viewed by foreign governments, as well as opponents at home, that Venezuela won the 2024 elections illegitimately.

Venezuela’s leftist leader and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured at their compound and flown to the United States early Saturday as part of a dramatic special forces operation that also included attacks on military bases.

The pair were later charged with weapons and drug offenses and are due to appear in court in New York on Monday.

Maduro has denied being a cartel leader and accused the United States of using his “war on drugs” as an excuse to oust him and seize Venezuelan oil.

While US officials said that no American soldiers were harmed in the attacks, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said that “a large part” of Maduro’s security team and “soldiers and innocent civilians” were killed in the US operation.

When asked why congressional authorization was not sought before the US operation in Venezuela, Rubio told ABC that “it wasn’t necessary because it wasn’t an invasion.”

He called it a “law enforcement operation” and said Maduro was arrested on the ground by FBI agents.

You can’t report such an operation to Congress because “it will leak,” he added.

Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, now serves as interim president after being sworn in by the country’s Supreme Court. The country’s army also supported him. He will be sworn in as president at 08:00 local time (12:00 GMT) in Caracas on Monday.

Speaking to US media outlets, Rubio was asked whether the US recognizes Rodríguez as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

He replied that “this is not about the legitimate president” because the United States does not recognize the regime as legitimate.

Some Democratic lawmakers condemned the administration’s actions.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the covert military operation, conducted without Congressional approval, was “not just a narcotics operation.”

“This was an act of war,” Jeffries told NBC’s Meet the Press.

“This was a military action involving Delta Force, involving the military, apparently involving thousands of soldiers, involving at least 150 military aircraft, and possibly dozens of ships off the coast of Venezuela and South America.”

Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told CBS Face the Nation that he had received “zero support” from the Trump administration, adding that “as far as I know, no Democrats have received any support.”

In an interview with ABC This Week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned the legality of the US operation.

Although Schumer believes Maduro is a terrible person, he said, “You can’t treat lawlessness like any other lawlessness.”

“We have learned over the years that America has attempted regime change and nation-building in this way that the American people have paid the price in both blood and dollars,” Schumer said.

He added that Trump had abandoned his election campaign promise of “no more endless wars”.

Both Schumer and Jeffries have pledged to support a resolution that, if passed in both chambers, would ban Trump from taking any action in Venezuela without Congressional approval.

The governments of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay and Spain said in a joint statement that US military operations “set an extremely dangerous precedent for peace and regional security and endanger the civilian population.”

They said they wanted a solution to the Venezuelan problem through peaceful means such as dialogue and negotiation.

They also expressed concern about external control that is “incompatible with international law” and “threatens the political, economic and social stability of the region.”