US President Donald Trump has warned that Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, will face a “very big price” if she refuses to cooperate with the United States, following a dramatic US military operation that led to the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro.
In a brief telephone interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, Trump said Rodríguez’s consequences could be “probably bigger than Maduro’s” if she fails to “do what’s right”.
US forces launched a pre-dawn strike on Caracas on Saturday, bombing key military targets before detaining Maduro and his wife. The pair were reportedly flown to New York, where they are expected to face federal narcotrafficking charges.
The Trump administration has indicated it is open to working with the remaining structures of Venezuela’s government, provided Washington’s objectives are met. These include opening Venezuela’s vast crude oil reserves to US investment and cooperation.
Trump’s comments came as Rodríguez was confirmed as interim president by Venezuela’s Supreme Court, with backing from senior military officials. However, she struck a defiant tone after the US raid, insisting that Maduro remains the country’s
only legitimate leader and declaring that Venezuela is “ready to defend our natural resources”.Despite having long campaigned against US-led nation-building and regime change abroad, Trump suggested a different approach for Venezuela. Speaking on Saturday, he said the United States would effectively “run” the country.
“Rebuilding there and regime change — anything you want to call it — is better than what you have right now,” Trump told The Atlantic. He described Venezuela as a “failed country” and “a disaster in every way”, adding that “rebuilding is not a bad thing in Venezuela’s case”.
The 79-year-old Republican also revived his long-standing demand that Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, should become part of the United States. Asked whether the military action in Venezuela sent a message to Greenland, Trump said: “They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.”
“But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
