United States President Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, that she will face serious consequences if she fails to cooperate with Washington following the capture of former president Nicolás Maduro by US forces.
Speaking on Sunday, Trump said Rodríguez would “pay a very big price” if she refused to align with US demands after Maduro was seized in Caracas and taken to the United States to face federal narcotrafficking charges.
“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price — probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic during a brief telephone interview.
US forces had earlier carried out a military operation in the Venezuelan capital in the early hours of Saturday, striking key military targets and removing Maduro and his wife from the country.
The Trump administration has since indicated its willingness to engage with remaining members of the Venezuelan government, provided American objectives are met. These include granting US companies access to Venezuela’s vast crude oil reserves.
Trump’s warning came shortly after Venezuela’s Supreme Court, backed by senior military officials, confirmed Rodríguez as the country’s interim president.
Rodríguez adopted a defiant stance following the US operation, insisting that Maduro remained Venezuela’s only legitimate leader and declaring that the country was prepared to defend its natural resources.
Despite his long-standing opposition to US-led nation-building and regime change abroad, Trump appeared to take a different position on Venezuela, stating that the United States would now “run” the country.
In remarks to The Atlantic, he said that rebuilding Venezuela was preferable to the status quo.
“Rebuilding there — regime change, anything you want to call it — is better than what you have right now,” Trump said.
“The country’s gone to hell. It’s a failed country. It’s a totally failed country — a disaster in every way.”
The Republican president also renewed his call for Greenland, an autonomous territory under Denmark, to become part of the United States.
When asked what the Venezuela operation signalled for Greenland, Trump said, “They’re going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know.
“But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”