Trump says Venezuela VP Delcy Rodríguez is “willing to work with US”

● Who is she?

We just heard US President Donald Trump say a “group of people” will take over the running of Venezuela until such a time that a “safe, proper and judicious transition” can be ensured.

When pressed by reporters as to who inside Venezuela would form part of that group, Trump said his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had been talking to Delcy Rodríguez.

Venezuelan president, Maduro, in custody at New York detention centre

Advertisement

Rodríguez has been Maduro’s vice-president and was the first official to speak out publicly after the US strikes.

She urged the US to provide a proof of life for Maduro and his wife.

The message was conveyed in audio format only and quickly led to speculation that Rodríguez may have left Venezuela.

Sources told the Reuters news agency she was in Russia, which the Russian foreign minister denounced as a “fake” report.

Trump said that Rodríguez had expressed her willingness to do “whatever the US asks”.

This may come as a surprise to some. Rodríguez and her brother Jorge, who leads the country’s National Assembly, have long been among the most ardent defenders of the Maduro government.

While it is conceivable that Rodríguez has agreed to co-operate with the Trump administration to save her own skin – Trump said the US was prepared to carry out a second wave of strikes if necessary – she will not be seen as someone willing to implement change. [BBC]