Trump warns Venezuela's acting president with threat of 'big price'

US President Donald Trump has issued a direct threat to Venezuela's new acting leader, warning of severe consequences if she fails to align with US objectives in the wake of a military intervention that captured former President Nicolas Maduro. In an interview with The Atlantic magazine on Sunday, Trump stated that acting President Delcy Rodriguez would face an even "bigger" penalty than Maduro if she did not "do what's right."

Contradictory Claims About Cooperation and Defiance

The warning came amidst conflicting narratives about Rodriguez's stance. On Saturday, immediately following the operation in Caracas, President Trump praised Rodriguez, claiming she had privately expressed a willingness to cooperate and that the US would temporarily "run" Venezuela with her compliance. However, Rodriguez publicly and swiftly rejected this characterization. She asserted Venezuela's readiness to defend its sovereignty and natural resources, demanded Maduro's return, and declared, "We shall never be a colony ever again." Trump's subsequent threat appears to be a response to what he termed her "defiant rejection" of the US intervention.

A Justification for Regime Change and Openness to Further Action

When questioned by The Atlantic about his apparent reversal from past opposition to foreign interventions, Trump distanced himself from previous US actions like the Iraq War, which he called a "disaster" started by President George W. Bush. He justified the Venezuela operation by stating, "rebuilding there and regime change... is better than what you have right now." He indicated he would not hesitate to authorize further military action if necessary. The interview also revealed Trump's broader hemispheric ambitions, as he reaffirmed interest in acquiring Greenland, citing strategic competition with Russia and China.

Unfolding Constitutional and International Crisis

The situation in Venezuela remains highly volatile. Following Maduro's capture, the Venezuelan Supreme Court directed Delcy Rodriguez, who was serving as Maduro's vice president, to assume the role of acting president immediately. Maduro and his wife are now detained in New York, facing federal drug trafficking charges they deny. The US operation, which resulted in dozens of Venezuelan casualties according to officials in Caracas, has triggered a profound constitutional crisis and drawn sharp condemnation from US political opponents and international observers concerned about violations of sovereignty and international law.