President Donald Trump said this Monday, 5th, in an interview with NBC Newsthat the United States is not at war with Venezuela.
“No, we are not (at war),” Trump said. “We are at war with those who sell drugs. We are at war with those who empty our country’s prisons, with its drug addicts and with its psychiatric hospitals,” he said.
Asked about the political direction after the capture of former dictator Nicolás Maduro, the president ruled out the possibility of Venezuela going through a new election in 30 days.
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“First we need to fix the country. You can’t have an election. There’s no chance of people even voting,” Trump said about the possibility of a vote next month.
“No, it’s going to take time. We need… we need to see that the country recovers.”
During the 20-minute interview, Trump said the US could subsidize an effort by oil companies to rebuild the country’s energy infrastructure. Project that, according to him, would take less than 18 months.
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“I think we can do it in less time, but it will cost a lot of money,” he said. “A huge amount will have to be spent, and the oil companies will spend, and then they will be reimbursed by us or through revenue.”
The president also highlighted the group of American officials – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Vice President JD Vance – who will oversee United States involvement in Venezuela.
“It’s an all-encompassing group. They have different backgrounds, different expertise,” he said. However, when asked who would be in final command, he replied: “Me”.
Interim president takes office
Delcy Rodríguez, former vice president of Nicolás Maduro, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela at the country’s Parliament building. The leader was sworn in by her brother, the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez. The partnership between the two, who now head the Venezuelan Executive and Legislative branches, should dictate the transition of power in the country.
Although he declared that he intends to work with the Trump administration, Delcy criticized in his speech the attacks carried out by the United States last Saturday, 3, in a military action that ended with the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
“I come with sadness for the suffering inflicted on the Venezuelan people after an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” she said, with her right hand raised. Delcy treated the couple’s arrest as a “kidnapping” and also called Maduro and Flores heroes.
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Jorge Rodríguez, brother of Venezuela’s interim president, stated that his main objective would be to bring Maduro back to power, whom he called his “brother” and president, and praised the “heroes” killed in Saturday’s American attack. He called for unity and dialogue with the opposition, adding: “United, we will win.”
Maduro’s son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, promised his unconditional support to Delcy Rodríguez. “Count on me, count on my family and count on our firmness in taking the right steps in this responsibility that has been entrusted to you today.” With a choked voice, he addressed his father: “The country is in good hands, father, and soon we will embrace each other here in Venezuela.”
Rodríguez brothers in power
The Venezuelan government sought, this Monday, to show the population and the world that the country is being administered independently and not controlled by the United States.
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Parliamentarians aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro’s son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to continue the scheduled inauguration ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that runs until 2031. They re-elected the president of the House – Delcy Rodríguez’s brother – and gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro’s capture by United States forces on Saturday.
“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country will be safe. Today it is Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit,” said Nicolás Maduro Guerra (Maduro’s son), at the Legislative Palace, in his first public appearance since Saturday. “This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability.”
Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito”, demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and asked for international support. The only son of the deposed leader, he also reported being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment that accuses his father and Flores of crimes.
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Maduro and Cilia go through hearing
As Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first appearance in a U.S. court, where he responded to narcoterrorism charges used by the Trump administration to justify his capture and transfer to New York. Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges.
President Donald Trump stated that the US would temporarily “manage” Venezuela, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the country would not govern Venezuelan day-to-day life, limiting itself to applying an already existing “oil quarantine”.
On Sunday, Rodríguez claimed that Venezuela seeks “respectful relations” with the United States, a change from the more defiant tone adopted shortly after Maduro’s capture. The conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very high price” if she did not meet US demands.
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