The political landscape in Venezuela has entered a new, complex phase following the dramatic removal of Nicolás Maduro, with high-level US engagement and a sidelined opposition making competing claims to the country's future.
A High-Stakes Meeting in Caracas
The CIA director, John Ratcliffe, has held talks in Caracas with Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. This visit comes less than a fortnight after CIA agents are understood to have played a crucial role in the operation that led to the capture of her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, on the 3rd of January. The intelligence provided was reportedly so precise that US forces knew details of Maduro's meals and pets at his heavily fortified compound.
One US official indicated that Ratcliffe's mission was to signal Washington's desire for an improved working relationship with the remnants of Maduro's regime, now led by Rodríguez. The acting president has expressed a willingness to travel to Washington for talks, stating Venezuela has a right to good relations with the United States.
Machado's Gambit and Political Marginalisation
As this diplomatic engagement unfolded, the previously recognised opposition leader, María Corina Machado, declared her intention to become Venezuela's first elected female president. She made this vow in a Fox News interview broadcast on Friday, predicting freedom was coming after years of economic crisis and authoritarian rule.
However, experts believe the Trump administration has marginalised Machado's movement. Rather than backing Machado, whose coalition is widely believed to have defeated Maduro in the 2024 election, President Trump endorsed Maduro's vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, calling her a "terrific person." Rodríguez now governs with support from key Maduro allies, including the powerful interior minister, Diosdado Cabello.
In a symbolic move a day before her interview, Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump at the White House, praising his "principled and decisive" action against Maduro. Analysts like US lawyer Eva Golinger suggest this was a desperate attempt to regain relevance, playing to Trump's noted tastes. "She's come [to Washington] and grovelled and handed over her Nobel peace prize … and she went out the back door," Golinger remarked.
A Pragmatic US Strategy and a Fractured Opposition
The Trump administration's pivot to dealing with Rodríguez's government appears driven by pragmatism. US officials have openly discussed striking a deal with Maduro's powerful allies to prevent state collapse. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated the need to "work with the people that have the guns today" to prevent a national breakdown while moving toward representative government.
Reports suggest Trump's decision was influenced by CIA assessments that Machado would be unable to control Venezuela's military and armed pro-regime groups, risking a dangerous security vacuum. Rodríguez's administration is already acting on key US interests, notably opening Venezuela's vast oil reserves to American companies. The first US deportation flight since Maduro's capture, carrying 231 Venezuelans, also landed in Caracas on Friday.
For the opposition, the situation is described as brutal. "They're sidelined … They have no role in what's going on. They're out of the game for now," said Golinger. Imdat Oner, a former Turkish diplomat in Venezuela, concurred, stating Machado's hands are tied and her becoming president is "completely out of the question" for the foreseeable future.
The rapid developments have exposed stark contradictions. Golinger noted the absurdity of Rodríguez's Chavista government, born from an anti-imperialist socialist movement, receiving the CIA director in the presidential palace just days after his agency helped orchestrate the rendition of the sitting head of state. "It's just farcical … what we're witnessing is a clear betrayal of everything that [the Chavismo] movement stood for," she concluded.
