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U.S. President Donald Trump warned Venezuela's interim President, Delcy Rodríguez, this Sunday that she will pay "a very high price" if she does not cooperate with the U.S.
Trump assured this Sunday in a phone interview with The Atlantic that if Delcy does not do the right thing “she will pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro's.”
He also expressed openness to a regime change in Venezuela: “You know, the reconstruction there and the regime change, whatever you want to call it, is better than what we have now. It can't get worse.”
On Saturday, Trump assured that his administration will take control of Venezuela and its oil profits following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, and that Delcy Rodríguez will lead a transitional government under conditions set by Washington.
From his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Trump stated that the United States will take control of the country "until there is a fair democratic transition," arguing that Venezuela's infrastructure is "rotten" and that the oil will be managed to benefit the population, but also to compensate the U.S. for past expropriations.
"We are going to lead this country correctly and we will ensure that the people of Venezuela are taken care of," said Trump, who did not rule out new military actions if factions of chavismo attempt to regain control of the country.
Edmundo González calls for a democratic transition
This Sunday, in what appears to be a response to the plan by Trump and Rubio for Venezuela, the elected president Edmundo González Urrutia called for the release of political prisoners and to respect the "will of the Venezuelan people".
In a message posted on his social media, González called for a democratic transition in Venezuela.
In an intervention published on Instagram, the opposition leader stated that "true normalization will only be possible when all political prisoners are freed and the clear will of the majority expressed on July 28, 2024, is respected. He indicated that only under those conditions can a serious and responsible process of democratic transition begin."
"The departure from the country of the one who usurped power and their submission to justice creates a new scenario, but it does not replace the fundamental tasks that remain, including the immediate and unconditional release of all citizens detained for political, civil, and military reasons," he added.
Urrutia recalled that his legitimacy comes from the popular mandate and the support of the Venezuelans: "The transition must be built with responsibility, firmness, and national unity."
Delcy Rodríguez has the support of the Armed Forces
On Sunday morning, for their part, the Armed Forces of the Venezuelan regime supported the appointment of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president of Venezuela.
In a statement released this Sunday, they also asserted that they will continue to “utilize all their available capabilities for the defense of the country.”
The statement, read on national television by the regime's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, backed the "Decree of State of External Shock throughout the national territory."
Additionally, he confirmed that the institution will continue with the "military defense, maintenance of internal order, and peace."
"We activated the entirety of the national geographical space in perfect military and police popular unity with the Complete Operational Preparedness, in order to integrate the elements of National Power in the mission to confront imperial aggression," the text reads.
Padrino López accused the U.S. of cold-blooded murder of a large portion of the security team of deposed president Nicolás Maduro.
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