Delcy Rodríguez won't travel to US because of 'expired passport', her brother joked to reporters
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez will not visit the United States to meet with President Donald Trump because of an expired passport, her brother Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, joked to reporters at the presidential palace in Caracas on Wednesday.
Delcy Rodríguez. PHOTO: AFP
Jorge Rodríguez, with Delcy and Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello – “the triumvirate” which brings together the most powerful people in Venezuela – made a brief press statement in which the interim president stated that “Venezuela opens to a new political era”, without giving details about the Venezuelan leader's international schedule.
When journalists asked if Delcy Rodríguez would travel to Colombia or, more specifically, to the United States for talks with Donald Trump, who is scheduled to meet with emissaries of the Venezuelan government, the president did not respond verbally and only waved before leaving.
At that moment, her brother made the unexpected joke: “Her passport has expired,” reports Agence France Presse, quoted by Agerpres.
The political landscape remains extremely tense after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces on January 3, 2026 in a military operation and is now in custody in New York, where he will stand trial on narco-terrorism charges.
Delcy Rodríguez, a former vice president during the Maduro administration, has already led official delegations abroad, including to The Hague and Suriname in 2025, but there is currently no confirmed official visit to Washington, and the Venezuelan government recently said no foreign travel is planned in the near term.
Delcy Rodríguez was named interim president in early January after the Venezuelan military recognized her in office and Congress supported her appointment.
