Donald Trump directly threatens the new president of Venezuela: “She will pay a high price, much higher than Maduro”
Photo: Alex Brandon / AP / Profimedia
Venezuela's interim president, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, will face a fate worse than that of Nicolas Maduro if he does not comply with US wishes, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with The Atlantic on Sunday. Rodriguez took over Venezuela's interim leadership, recognized by the country's military, a day after President Maduro was captured by the US military.
In a telephone interview with The Atlantic, President Donald Trump issued a threat to Delcy Rodríguez, saying that “if he doesn't do the right thing, he will pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro.” Nicolas Maduro is now in a prison cell in New York, where he awaits trial by American justice.
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Trump made it clear that he would not tolerate what he described as Rodríguez's defiant rejection of the US military intervention that led to Maduro's capture.
What Trump says about the possibility of taking Greenland
During the interview, Trump reiterated that Venezuela may not be the last country subject to US intervention.
“We need Greenland, absolutely,” he said, describing the island, part of NATO ally Denmark, as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”
Discussing the future of Venezuela, Trump signaled a clear shift from his previous reluctance to discuss regime change and national reconstruction, dismissing the concerns of many within MAGA.
“You know, let's rebuild there and regime change, whatever you want to call it, it's better than it is now. It can't be worse,” he declared.
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On Saturday, just hours after U.S. military forces stormed Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to face criminal charges, Trump said in a press conference that Rodríguez had privately told him she was willing to work with the United States, and Trump announced that the U.S. would “temporarily rule” Venezuela.
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“She's basically willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said yesterday.
Rodríguez immediately rejected that claim, saying the country is “ready to defend its natural resources” and that the National Defense Council remains ready to implement Maduro's policies.
“We will never be a colony again,” Rodríguez said. The possibility that Maduro's government will continue to oppose the US raises the risk of a protracted conflict over control of Venezuela, which could require increased US military involvement and even an occupation, notes The Atlantic.
Trump signaled on Saturday that he is willing to order another strike in Venezuela if he deems it necessary.
“Reconstruction is not a bad thing in the case of Venezuela,” Trump said.
“The country has gone to hell. It's a failed country. It's a completely failed country. It's a country that's a disaster in every way,” the US president continued.
