From "illegitimate kidnapping" to "the cooperation agenda": a chronology of Delcy Rodríguez's rapprochement with the US
The new president continues to criticize Washington, but as the hours have passed, she has extended an olive branch to Trump.
BarcelonaIn recent hours, there has been a surprising shift in tone from Venezuela's Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, regarding the United States. The current "interim president" has considerably softened her rhetoric against Washington, coinciding with reports that the US, after stating its intention to "lead" the country following Maduro's abduction, would welcome her taking over, at least for now, from Hugo Chávez's successor. Rodríguez has gone from asserting Maduro's status as the country's sole president and warning that Venezuela would not be a "colony" of the US to expressing a willingness to "work together on a cooperative agenda" with the White House. Although Venezuela made it clear from the outset that it is "prepared to maintain respectful relations" with Washington, the condemnation of Maduro's capture has taken a backseat in Rodríguez's public statements. We examine this change in tone and the context in which it has occurred.
Before the aggression: rejection of attacks on oil tankers
Rodríguez, just as tough on the US as Maduro
In mid-December, amidst the escalating US military activity in the Caribbean and Pacific, with attacks on alleged drug-running boats and Venezuelan oil tankers, then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez firmly opposed US interests. She did so with the same conviction as Maduro. "There will be no oil given away or stolen for any foreign power. We will remain free and independent. With President Nicolás Maduro, we will continue defending the homeland."
January 3: Reaction to the attack
The Venezuelan government is calling for "armed struggle"
Just after the bombings in Caracas, in which 80 people were reportedly killed, the Venezuelan government accused the US of "imperialist aggression" and called for "armed struggle." These statements were not made directly by Delcy Rodríguez, nor by any specific minister; the Venezuelan executive branch explained them in a text statement broadcast on the state channel VTV.
January 3: Trump's press conference
He doubts Machado and says the US will "lead" Venezuela
In his first press conference after the attack, Donald Trump asserted that the US would "lead" Venezuela, at least in the days following the assault: "We're going to continue like this until a safe transition can take place." For that immediate future, Trump surprised the world by questioning who was considered the logical successor the US wanted to place at the head of Venezuela: the anti-Chavista and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. In December, the opposition leader received US support to leave Venezuela and travel to Oslo to accept the prize. Machado repeatedly praised President Trump, promised to open the oil market to companies from around the world, and had not opposed a White House military operation in the Latin American country. But, in the press conference, Trump suggested that the opposition leader did not have "enough respect" within Venezuela to lead the transition. Instead, he tentatively extends a hand to Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, with whom he claims to have spoken by phone: "It seems she will do what is necessary to make Venezuela great again," says the US leader.
January 3: Delcy Rodríguez stands up to the US
He says that Venezuela has "only one president: Nicolás Maduro"
At a time when the US aggression is still very recent, Delcy Rodríguez appears from Caracas, after Trump has already spoken, and harshly criticizes the US. "There is only one president in that country, named Nicolás Maduro," Rodríguez asserts. Maduro's second-in-command calls the capture of Chávez's successor an "illegitimate kidnapping," warns the US that the Latin American country will not be "a colony" of Washington, and declares: "We are ready to defend Venezuela and our natural resources." However, she also points out that the country is willing to maintain "respectful relations" with the White House "within the framework of international law and the laws of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela."
January 4: Machado, ruled out
The US says it would not be the best option to "deal with the immediate reality"
As the hours pass, the name of Delcy Rodríguez as Maduro's successor, at least in the short term, is being mentioned with increasing frequency. The Venezuelan Supreme Court has designated her as interim president, in accordance with the Venezuelan Constitution. Some reports from New York Times According to officials in the Trump administration, Even before the attack, Washington viewed her favorably as a potential leader of the country.
January 4: Rodríguez moderates the speech
It extends a hand to the US to work on a "cooperation agenda"
While Rodríguez's speeches had predominantly focused on denouncing the US attack on Venezuela, on Sunday she surprised everyone with a more moderate tone. The interim president expressed openness to "working together" with Washington "on a cooperation agenda, geared towards shared development," that would strengthen "a lasting community coexistence." This tone is a far cry from the one Chavismo typically uses publicly with the US. However, Trump is not backing down, demanding "full access to oil and other things," and warning: "If you don't get along, we'll launch a second attack."
