Delcy Rodríguez “was quite gracious,” said Trump. Rodríguez then blasted Trump. 
Venezuela’s New Leader Is a Hardline Socialist
The Wall Street Journal reports Venezuela’s New Leader Is a Hardline Socialist Like Maduro
Venezuela’s new leader is a socialist true believer who helped Nicolás Maduro maintain his grip on power for more than a decade as the country’s economy crumbled.
Now, President Trump is counting on leftist Delcy Rodríguez—Maduro’s vice president who became the country’s de facto leader on Saturday—to work with the U.S. as it, in Trump’s words, begins to run Venezuela.
In doing so, he is leaving Maduro’s regime intact and choosing one of the deposed leader’s confidants over Maria Corina Machado, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader and right-wing supporter of Trump.
At his news conference Saturday, Trump said that Rodríguez had a long conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump said that as Venezuela’s new de facto leader, she agreed to do whatever the U.S. needed done.
“She, I think, was quite gracious, but she really doesn’t have a choice,” Trump said. “She is essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again. Very simple.”
Hours after Trump’s news conference, Rodríguez took a radically different tone, slamming the U.S. for its attack on Venezuelan military facilities as special forces soldiers snatched Maduro and swept him off to the U.S. She demanded the U.S. return Maduro, calling him Venezuela’s rightful president.
“Never again will we be slaves, never again will we be a colony of any empire,” she said, flanked by senior officials from Maduro’s government. “We’re ready to defend Venezuela.”
“They are very, very manipulative,” said Andrés Izarra, a former minister under Maduro who now lives in exile after breaking with the regime. “I think they will maneuver to stay in power as long as they can.”
It is bad news for Venezuela’s opposition leader, Machado, who has been a strong supporter of the Trump administration’s campaign against Maduro. Machado had hoped that Maduro’s downfall would usher the opposition into power. But on Saturday, Trump said that while Machado is a “very nice woman,” she doesn’t have the support or respect inside Venezuela to govern.
“None of this looks good for Maria Corina Machado,” said David Smilde, a Venezuela scholar at Tulane University. “In the short term, it doesn’t look like Maria Corina will have much of a role.”
Rodríguez held senior positions in the government of Hugo Chávez, the late socialist firebrand and Maduro’s mentor who took power in 1999. Chávez, a former tank commander who once staged a failed military coup, was elected amid a backlash against an entrenched Venezuelan elite that oversaw the country growing rich with oil wealth but was also regarded as corrupt.
Rodríguez maintains a close relationship with the Cuban intelligence operatives that Maduro has long relied on to root out traitors in his ranks, according to opposition members. Havana views her as a reliable ideological ally and a guardian of Cuban strategic interests within the regime, these people said.
Her father, Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, was a Marxist guerrilla and co-founder of the Socialist League, a militant leftist movement active in the 1960s and 1970s. Rodríguez blames her asthma on a visit she made as a child to her father in prison. She was pushed into the cell where her father was being held and then the secret police set off a tear gas grenade, said Brian Naranjo, a former senior U.S. diplomat who served in Venezuela.
“All her hate for Venezuela’s old political establishment goes back to that abuse,” he said.
To rule the country, she will need to rely on other key, hardline actors in the Maduro regime, particularly Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who has been widely accused of human rights abuses. Another crucial apparatchik is Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino. Both men have been indicted in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges. The U.S. has offered a reward of $25 million for information leading to Cabello’s arrest and/or conviction and $15 million for Padrino.
Defiant Speech
Trump Press Conference Quotes
- “We are going to get the oil the way it should be.”
- “The country will largely be run by the people standing behind me.” Some of the advisers standing behind him include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
- “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have.”
- “We are in the oil business and we will be selling it.”
- “We will have the greatest oil companies in the world going in.”
- “It won’t cost us anything because of the money coming out of the ground.”
- Oil will be used to repay the US for damages, said Trump.
- “I’m not thrilled with Putin. He’s killing too many people.”
- “It’s all a deal. Life is a big deal.”
How Long Will the US Have Boots on the Ground?
As long as it takes according to Trump. The warmongers still regret leaving Afghanistan.
Trump has now attacked seven nations after promising to avoid such wars.
Republicans Against MAGA
No, More Wars!
Elon Musk Sucks Up
Musk “In general, we should leave other countries to their own business.”
Regarding Iran
Nobody Can Stop Us
Spot on Assessment by Trump
We’re Going to Run the County, How Long?
Q: How long?
A: “Until such time we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
J.D. Vance on the Country Most In Need of a Regime Change
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi: ” For decades, our policy has been trapped in a counterproductive and endless cycle of regime change or nation building. It was a one size fits all approach of toppling regimes of trying to impose our system of government on others, intervene in conflicts that were barely understood, and walk away with more enemies than allies. The results, trillions spent. Countless lives lost. … President Trump was elected by the American people to put an end to this. From day one he has shown a very different way to conduct foreign policy.”
If Tulsi does not resign immediately, she sold her soul for power. Truly sad. I had high hopes.
Related Posts
January 3, 2026: US Captures Venezuelan President and His Wife, US Will “Run the Country”
Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Run the Country’ After Capture of Maduro.
January 3, 2026: Venezuela Invasion, It’s the Oil Stupid! How Much Can We Steal?
Everything that is happening today can be summed up in one word. Oil.
A good many people in Venezuela are bought and paid for, and the comprador class can hardly wait to get their hands on some of the promised filthy lucre.
Anybody who takes anything at face value at this stage needs lessons.
This is all kabuki to mollify the masses about what’s going on.
The country has been captured by CIA money.
Trump just freed a real convicted drug lord from Honduras. Now it seems likely that Trump simply wanted control of his drug distribution network to supplement his new oil income.
Maduro has plenty of drug money, maybe he can buy a pardon? What’s the going rate?
He will have good lawyers it would be really funny if he beat the charges, but my guess is the fix is in.
If might is right…
What is the difference between robbing an older woman of her purse and robbing a weaker nation of her oil?
I love my country, but I fear our dictator and his sycophants!
zero difference except at least the small time violent thief looks the victim in the eyes. no need to love one’s country. it’s all just manmade borders, and boundaries and flags and patriotic songs and brain washing. anthropology 101. human primates seem the need to worship and love their silverback leaders and troop of gorillas, no matter what. psychology 101. the great and powerful and diabolical nazi goering summed it all up at nuremberg before he killed himself, before he let the allies execute him. no need to tell you what he said. as you know i’m sure. but it rings so true.
“Country” is an abstraction, a mental image. You are essentially loving yourself by loving country. that’s today’s philosophy lesson.
So Trump replaced Maduro with a more credible and likable opponent who is also a woman (more sympathetic), making the whole world repulsed by his (unlawful and unethical) methods at regime change? How does this achieve his stated goal of grabbing oil and natural resources? Venezuela has not been invaded nor is it under US occupation. How are you going to get to the oil or silver now? Actually the US will get LESS Venezuelan oil now that America is de facto at war with Venezuela? Strategically, all that Trump achieved was to piss off China by cutting off their oil supply? Or is everyone lying about everything and you are all insane? All of the above I’d say.
Who would have believed that Epstein had so much power, even after the offed him.
According to the law, as we understand it, D. Trump has violated international law, our laws and our Constitution. <sarcastic rhetorical questions> How soon will Congress pass War Powers Act resolution ordering him to stop and to release Sr. Maduro? How soon before the courts do the same? How soon before he is impeached and this time removed from office? Will the ICC indict Trump? Will anyone at the UN attempt to organize any coalition of the willing to militarily confront us? </sarcastic rhetorical questions> While we wait on those, will Venezuela’s leadership continue the bad Maduro policies, or will they make any ANY changes to them?
Reporter: Are you going to demand that Delcy Rodriguez allow opposition figures to return or free any political prisoners?
Trump: We haven’t gotten to that. Right now, we want to do is fix up the oil
from hedgekidz, Greenland is next.
First, of course, the US will offer to buy it for pennies on the dollar, like it did when it illegally annexed portions of Mexico, the Indian Nations, Hawaii, etc., etc.
That way, as Mark Twain once noted, nobody can claim it was stolen.
The Venezuelan Oil Narative is PURE THEATRE
https://renegaderesources.pro/p/the-venezuelan-oil-narative-is-pure
that is some wonderful propaganda. i must hat tip you for that. at least.
Trump’s Monroe-Doctrine Hemispheric Tyranny: The 13 nations of US’ war on terror vs. the 16 nations Trump has bombed or threatened
The war on terror involved US military action in 13 nations. The results these failed wars are well known. Trump has authorized military bombing in 7 nations and taken action in Gaza.
He has now shifted to claiming US ownership of the entire hemisphere and has taken action against or threatened Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Argentina, Cuba, Greenland and Canada.
Aligned with and defending Trump’s actions is the knuckle dragging, entitled wing of MAGA that falsely thinks there is some US divine right to control and own the resources and politics of other nations.
Panama, Trump thinks he owns it, same with Greenland and now he’s threatening to take Cuba too. Other nations he threatens using drug war claims are Colombia, Mexico, and Canada.
The Trump administration’s lies and false claims about Canada particularly stand out with fake claims about drugs from Canada and huge lies about trade. He directly interferes by talking about Canada as a US state. Imagine if Canadian politicians were calling for New York to be Canadian province. The US would go insane but apparently doesn’t apply moral rules to itself that it expects of others. Generally, Trump’s hostile plan for Canada which he calls a cheat nation is to economically break or dissolve it.
Cuba he will probably invade. He will probably seize Greenland. He may decide to do some bombing in Mexico.
Trump is apparently winning on this because the nations of North and South America aren’t smart enough to realize they must align as a block against Trump’s Monroe Doctrine. By not doing so they simply enable more warlike and other hostile intervention by Team Trump.
– He has now shifted to claiming US ownership of the entire hemisphere. > Wrong comprehension.
– has taken action against or threatened Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Argentina, Cuba, Greenland and Canada. > Wrong comprehension.
– Aligned with and defending Trump’s actions is the knuckle dragging, entitled wing of MAGA that falsely thinks there is some US divine right to control and own the resources and politics of other nations. > – He has now shifted to claiming US ownership of the entire hemisphere. > Wrong comprehension.
– has taken action against or threatened Venezuela, Mexico, Panama, Columbia, Argentina, Cuba, Greenland and Canada. > Wrong comprehension.
– Aligned with and defending Trump’s actions is the knuckle dragging, entitled wing of MAGA that falsely thinks there is some US divine right to control and own the resources and politics of other nations. > Wrong comprehension.
– Panama, Trump thinks he owns it, same with Greenland and now he’s threatening to take Cuba too. Other nations he threatens using drug war claims are Colombia, Mexico, and Canada. > Wrong comprehension.
– The Trump administration’s lies and false claims about Canada particularly stand out with fake claims about drugs from Canada and huge lies about trade. He directly interferes by talking about Canada as a US state. Imagine if Canadian politicians were calling for New York to be Canadian province. The US would go insane but apparently doesn’t apply moral rules to itself that it expects of others. Generally, Trump’s hostile plan for Canada which he calls a cheat nation is to economically break or dissolve it. > Wrong comprehension.
– Cuba he will probably invade. He will probably seize Greenland. He may decide to do some bombing in Mexico. > Wrong comprehension.
>> If nothing else, you are amazingly consistent!!!
It’s all so third world.
King Doonoodle had King Maduuubo kidnapped now all of the low IQ are jumping around like rabid chimps.
Not so sure it’s a good look to be backing a woman for President. For many Generations, Men are “Dominant” within this culture.
I understand that the Younger and up coming generations, may eventually look at things differently, but for now that’s not going to be the case. The “Elder” Men will decide that for now anyway…
Mish, you are proving yourself to be one of the most anti-American talking heads ever encountered durng my 65+ trips around the sun.
Every opportunity you get to find fault with this administration, you gleefully acquiesce.
I only read your diatribes to get a glimpse of radical liberalism, and you rarely fail to deliver.
This was not a war.
This was the warranted and necessary removal of a warlord and international drug kingpin, not regime change.
60+ nations plus the EU recognized Maduro as such.
I am sorry for you/ not sorry for all othets that you will never be Fed Chair under Trump nor any rational President.
Your posts, even thoigh free, are grossly overpriced.
I look forward to any/all down votes from your minions.
my lord dude. have you been reading Mish for more than 5 minutes. home schooled or public school? or special needs? are you wearing your helmet. bwaaaaahhhhhhhhh. yea mish is anti amerikan marxist socialist violent antifa radical anti amerikan. that’s mish. you nailed it.
The kind of education where both spelling and punctuation were both instructed on and graded, unlike yours obviously.
And who might be your “lord” to which you refer, pray tell?
beelzebub of course
Well said Bo Cho
The difference between you and Mish is that he can at least debate points even when he’s wrong.
I have neither enough time nor crayons to correct you.
Or I could simply agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.
What a fucking cunt you are.
Was that a question, or you just looking for some more daily affirmation via your mirror?
No need to keep feeding trolls. Press the Hide button to the right of Reply. It will hide all his comments from then on.
…warlord and international drug kingpin…
I bet your buddies are happy you will swallow anything
warlord because his security detail carries machine guns?
drug kingpin like the former president from Honduras who was pardoned by donOld?
He’s right, the US is responsible for thee vast majority of evil in the world with their greed and lack of respect for laws.
Wow! You apparently cannot comprehend what you read. Maybe if you listen to Mish via headphones, and drown out all the indoctrination material floating through your brain, you might be able to understand better what He and many others are stating. Maybe not? I sincerely do wish you luck, just the same!
“Going to make America great Again” now seems to mean controlling other Countries assets under any Pretense. Who is next if the rumor that Greenland has “Weapons of Mass Destruction” comes into question?
Knocking over the government was always going to be the easy part.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trump-tries-making-regime-change-great-again-in-venezuela/
I had high hopes for Gabbard as well, and high hopes for a Trump administration that wanted her on board. “VP!”, I thought. Then reality started intruding.
If she has any integrity, she should be out of there this evening. So should some generals and other officials who respect the Constitution.
Never thought I’d ask this: But I wonder what the UN Security Council will do?
(Or Congress, ha-ha.)
Jonathan Turley has an interesting and presumably knowledgeable argument on ZeroHedge as to why Trump will probably prevail in any U.S. legal challenges to this operation.
Just out of curiosity, since both up votes and down votes are anonymous, what exactly is the meaning of a down vote on a note advising readers of an opinion on the legal issues of Trump’s action? Are you voting against Turley’s view? Voting against Trump’s action? Voting against knowing that Turley has an opinion? Or voting because your hand slipped out of your pants for a moment?
The same could be said of the up votes, but they could simply be saying thanks, we’ll check it out.
It would sure be nice if the up/down voters were visible to the poster of the voted comment. That allows for a better conversation. An older blog system here did that.
But, yeah, I figure everyone here up/down votes for different reasons. Speaking for myself, I down-vote “abuse” and up-vote comments that:
it is the mystery of life online. all the bells and whistles and likes and follows and up and down thumbs are just training you to be trained monkey with meaningless rewards. only the great oz knows. follow the yellow brick road dorothy and get your answers
If Tulsi has any integrity, she should resign. She has other employment options and doesn’t need the job. the generals are essentially political toadies who aren’t good with formulating opinions. Opinions require a certain amount of brain matter.
I have always suspected that Trump was re-installed by the Uniparty elites to accomplish what Biden or any other Democrat would be unable to do because of Conservative and MAGA opposition: 1.) Engage in more foreign wars (especially Iran and throughout the Middle East, and 2.) Promote and complete the creation of the police/surveillance State. These goals were limited and not likely to be implemented under a Harris/Walz Administration due to significant opposition from the “right”, but with his control of most of the MAGA sheeple, the New World order could march on to ultimate victory under new Trump administration as the republican Establishment would go along, as would most of Trump’s MAGA followers, who blindly follow him, regardless of how many MAGA principles he betrays. Of course a significant portion of his followers only care about one issue- blind subservience to Israel and their dispensationalist nonsense. Remember that Trump was the proud father of operation warp speed and the Covid lockdowns. He paved the way for majority support for mandatory Covid vaccines. Make all the excuses you want for him- A Hillary Presidency could not have pulled this off.
This is incredible levels of “heads I win tails you lose” thinking. Yep, it’s always the uniparty! Even when they lose!
Where does the “self” in “self-government” come into the picture? or plain common sense, no matter the politics? Plenty of idiots double-vaxxed and triple boosted, just “ask your doctor” or any media stooge. “If it saves even one life, it’s worth it, after all, we’re all in this together!”
trump has always been a big government NYC democrat who will do anything for 20 silver coins. i mean anything. crossing myself. the father son and holy ghost……….
I guess this means the chance of a major war in Europe is likely. The US has to secure oil before Russia and Europe go at it.
It will be a decade before the infrastructure gets rebuilt to any meaningful degree.
Right- just like all you tree hugging libtards said it would take Germany 5+ years to rig up for LNG but we dud it ib 9 months.
idiocracy comment. who cares how long. it’s our oil. just like it’s our oil everywhere on planet earth and also the moon and mars.
Interesting! Regime change without changing regimes.
Looks like we kidnapped somebody that nobody down there liked very much anyway.
Not just there, around the world.
No one is saying anything in defense of Maduro. Not even Liberal Canada is saying anything in his defense since they too do not recognize his leadership and have also indicted him.
Not even America’s traditional enemies (Iran etc) are saying a world, nor are any other South American countries.
would anyone care if trump or putin or xi were kidnapped. i doubt it.
Venezuela started slacking off…
on sending their worst people…
so we had to start picking some up.
Epstein who?
Epstein File.
Where are you?
Hidden behind Venezuela.
Epstein has a note from his mom
Venezuela war is essential to protect very high VIPs and billionaires.
Even WW3 ?
Victims of over 1000, running over 30 years and large privileged Paedophile ring.
Think about it.
There is no solution to solve the problem.
NO SOLUTION.
How ignorant can you be- it’s a really REALLY bad time to be such a problem like this one.
NAZIS are always freaks and pederasts. for thousands of years. PEDOTUS trump and and Genocide Joe are just the heads of this sick empire……
From all the evidence you present, it is clear that words no longer mean much of anything.
All the video/sound bite evidence in the world is meaningless and useless if those accused of talking out of both sides of their mouths just look at you blankly and shrug.
If you ain’t lying, you ain’t trying!
Her father was tortured to death at 34 by by a US-aligned government. I’m sure she would rather not be a US puppet, but they’ll probably give her the “plata o plomo” choice.
Seems far easier to just ask the new #2 via the CIA if they’d like to be #1 via coup and keep going until you find someone who will do as the US wants.
is wolfowitz still alive. wasn’t that cunt the viceroy of iraq after the W the dumber scam of WMD and invasion for oil ????
Regardless of who takes the reigns there, they must know the military won’t lift a finger to help them if the US comes for them. They didn’t for Maduro so they won’t for anyone else. So this lady can talk tough all she wants but deep down she knows shes on her own if the US comes calling for her.
It depends on how the US conducts itself in the coming months
I expect they will wait to see what she does and how she complies to US wishes regarding oil assets (returned) and oil for Cuba (no more to enable the overthrow of Cuba).
If she doesn’t comply with the party line, then the CIA will quietly approach whomever is the new #2 and ask them if they would do as the US asks and that if so, the US would support a coup. If not #2, they move on to #3 and so on until someone is willing to do as the US asks in return for being #1. This keeps the US from having to return with boots on the ground and gives plausible deniability as having directly been involved.
As is EVERY American.
– Boots on the Ground? > Not for long, if at all. “if needed” They wont be.
– The country will largely be run by the people standing behind me. > No it probably won’t be. Those people don’t have any control over what the People will do. Recall under the same leadership (Minus – Madura and his wife), the People caved to the will of the Leadership.
>> While true the People didn’t care much for Madura, they cared less for his henchmen, you know the ones in charge NOW!
– We are in the oil business and we will be selling it. > Whom the hell are WE? And how exactly are they selling it? How are they getting it? How are they going to deliver it?
Just way too many questions, pertaining to The Trump Administration’s Comments, in regards to this situation imo.
I’m going to judge based on action. Foremost, will there be a round-up and execution of corrupt military officers who sold themselves out (not a single report of anti-aircraft defense, when only a few could have scuttled the mission)? If that never happens, then she’s either timid or a liar actually onboard with the program, and might as well be considered a puppet.
Trump is literally a real life adult version of Eric Cartman.
US is a clown show, and has been for the last 9 years.
I didn’t care for Obama, but I’d take Obama and a Republican controlled Congress over this shit show any day of the week.
I strongly disagree with your characterization of Trump. He’d need to put on another 50 lbs and say something negative about Jews during a Netanyahu press conference.
He says all the Jew stuff in private, at the tea parties with Clyde Frog and princess prissy pants.
9 years?????? where ya been fella. hard time for 40 to life? been this way for my entire first 65 years. lbj defaulted on silver in 1965 and dropped more bombs on indochina than all of ww2
Great post! Trump’s “Mad Max” America, based upon lies, hypocrisy, hate and killing, is a serious threat to the entire world. Tulsi is just one more disappointing sell-out. Worst of all, there are no apparent solutions. No options, with a controlled media and hand-picked politicians. As Paul Volcker emphasized in an interview while promoting his last book, “The US is NOT a democracy; it is a plutocracy”, run by the few for their personal enrichment and power, and Israel’s empowerment at any cost. The UniParty of America. This simple fact can no longer be ignored or denied. Those in power, especially Trump, no longer even try to pretend otherwise. The corruption, and corrupted morals, are plain to see, even by the most delusional apologists. Sad, and more than a little frightening for the entire world, not just Americans.
How much more money is the US taxpayer going to be on the hook for Making Venezuela Great Again? Oh yea, the US will just steal Venezuela’s oil to pay for it. What a joke the US has become.
Just close ten day care centers in Minneapolis to fund.
past 80 years minimum. same old playbook.
Well, she better get with the program. Otherwise, she too is heading to NYC via Guantanamo. /s
Folks might consider listening to Rubio’s less incendiary breakdown of the situation…
Marco Rubio says Maduro’s capture ‘not a war against Venezuela’: Full interview – YouTube
Whoever this woman is, she will not remain in power for long. The US needs to spread democracy by installing its own hand picked puppet who is completely obedient to the US.
I’ve said before, I hope the US does a better job at choosing a puppet for Venezuela than it did in Afghanistan. That puppet didn’t even last an hour after the US withdrew its military forces.
“Afghanistan’s president fled the country as the Taliban advanced on Kabul, effectively handing back power to the Islamist group almost 20 years after it was ousted by a US-led invasion.”
How much time for the petrodollar does this buy MIsh assuming we get access to their oil and it is only priced in USD?
Oil priced in $ is irrelevant. Petrodollar theory is nonsense. Money is fungible. No one needs dollars to buy oil and never did. What matters is what countries hold their reserves in, not what oil is priced in. The US is largely independent in oil right now. This is why Saudis no longer accumulate much US dollar reserves, at least from the US. They do hold dollars for weapons.
Totally agree.Thank you Mish. You don’t need $s to buy oil. How do people not get that?
$ is going lower in 2026…………That might actually help the equity market no?
An dare I say help the Trump economy????……………………….
I’m ducking now because I will get hateful posts LOL
the amerikan protection racket did demand that the saudis.and others……hold usd. so they bought the oil in usd and they had to turn around and by our jet fighters…….in USD. or we kill them. it was a mafia style protection racket. not too complicated. kissenger invented it.
And hold a lot in US Treasuries,like Japan and even China not long ago.
japan is our bitch. china not so much. they are the 800lb gorilla of the world. amerikan empire is drugged out, homelessness and violent porno whores who love bombing poor people around the globe. our gulags are luxurious though. teeveeeeeee and food.
” Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt ” (‘Germany, Germany above all, above all in the world’) zeig heil America. New American National anthem next.
Well, he’s laying the groundwork, isn’t he?