The Republican senator from Florida Rick Scott published a strong message on X this Saturday, rejecting any legitimacy to the government of Delcy Rodríguez and labeling her a "cartel leader." This statement comes just days after the meeting between Rodríguez and President Donald Trump in New York.
"I have been clear: Delcy Rodríguez is NOT the legitimate president of Venezuela. She is a cartel leader who must cooperate with the United States as we work towards a true democratic transition and ensure that the commitments made are fulfilled," Scott wrote on his X account, where he posted the message in both English and Spanish.
The senator was straightforward in stating that Washington is fully aware of the profile of the person leading the Venezuelan government: "The United States knows exactly who Delcy Rodríguez is."
Scott demanded the restoration of Venezuela's democratic institutions, starting with a legitimate Supreme Court capable of ensuring free and fair elections.
He claimed that all candidates should be able to run and campaign without oppression, intimidation, or persecution, and explicitly mentioned María Corina Machado as a central example: "She must be allowed to return to her country and live, organize, and participate freely."
Machado, Nobel Peace Prize winner 2025 and the main opposition leader in Venezuela, has faced at least seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela since June 2026, including three in a single day from Panama City in mid-September.
The American politician also demanded the immediate release of all Venezuelan political prisoners: "Every political prisoner must be released, without exceptions or conditions. Venezuela cannot be free while innocent people remain imprisoned for standing up to this wicked regime."
And he concluded his message by acknowledging the leadership of President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "Every day we are closer to seeing the Venezuelan people finally attain the freedom, democracy, and future for which they have fought and sacrificed."
Scott's statements come at a time of tension within the Republican Party regarding the United States' approach to Venezuela. While the Trump administration opted for a pragmatic approach — which included the meeting between Trump and Rodríguez, the first in-person contact between a U.S. president and a Venezuelan leader in over 11 years — he has maintained a maximum pressure strategy.
Before that meeting, the senator had warned that a photograph between the two would be "a slap in the face" for Venezuelans. The State Department clarified, through its spokesperson Natalia Molano, that the meeting "does not imply recognition of legitimacy" for the Chavista government and that "Washington's strategy has not changed."
This week, Rodríguez returned to Caracaswithout visiting Nicolás Maduro at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and without mentioning his name in her speech of 19 minutes before the UN General Assembly, where she promised elections without setting a specific date.
A poll by Meganálisis shows a 91% rejection among Venezuelans of the Trump-Rodríguez meeting, reflecting the mood of the population: 94% opposed Rodríguez representing them at the UN, and 80% were against the 25-year oil agreement signed in August. In a hypothetical electoral scenario, Machado would receive 61% of the votes compared to Rodríguez's 3%.
In May, Rick Scott stated that Rodríguez "is not the president. She is the head of a cartel." He referred to her as "despicable." Days later, he held her responsible for the death of the mother of a murdered political prisoner, and called to prosecute her for what he described as a crime against humanity.
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