Rick Scott warns Delcy Rodríguez: "She will face the same fate as Maduro if she defies the United States."

U.S. Senator Rick Scott warned Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez on Tuesday that she could "face the same fate as Nicolás Maduro" if she challenges the will of the United States, following her temporary assumption of power after the capture of the Chavista leader on January 3.

"Delcy Rodríguez is not the president of Venezuela; she is simply another corrupt leader of Maduro's regime. She would do well to remember that any step she takes outside the interests of the United States will have the same outcome as her former criminal partner, Maduro," Scott wrote on his X account (formerly Twitter).

The message from the Republican senator from Florida —one of the fiercest critics of Chavismo and the Cuban regime— was interpreted as a direct warning to Rodríguez, who is trying to maintain control of the Chavista apparatus following Maduro's downfall and the arrest of several high-ranking members of the Venezuelan government.

Scott's comment sparked a new source of tension in the American political landscape after analyst Ron Filipkowski claimed that President Donald Trump "is backing Rodríguez and not María Corina Machado."

According to Filipkowski, Trump "is not interested in the well-being of the Venezuelan people, but in maintaining control over any figure that ensures his strategic interests."

While the White House surprised by backing a figure from chavismo to continue leading the country instead of seeking support from the opposition, diplomatic sources in Washington affirm that the administration's priority is to “ensure stability” following the military operation that led to Maduro's capture.

According to their explanation, Trump is trying to prevent a power vacuum that would favor the influence of Cuba or Russia in the South American country.

In Caracas, Delcy Rodríguez has aimed to project an image of institutional continuity, supported by remnants of the military apparatus and by international allies such as Iran and Bolivia.

Meanwhile, the international community remains divided: the European Union and several Latin American countries have called for free elections, while Cuba has reaffirmed its "unwavering solidarity" with the chavista regime.