President Donald Trump issued a blunt warning to Venezuela’s new leader on Sunday, making clear that the era of defiance toward the United States is over.
In a telephone interview, Trump said Delcy Rodríguez would face consequences if she refused to cooperate with Washington following the U.S. military operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, now being held in a New York City jail. “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said.
Trump reiterates that if the acting Venezuelan leader Delcy Rodriguez doesn't do what's right, "she will face a situation probably worse than Maduro."
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 5, 2026
The president spoke from West Palm Beach, where he had just arrived at his golf club and appeared confident and upbeat. He made it clear Venezuela may not be the last nation to feel American pressure. “We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump said, referring to the territory governed by Denmark, a NATO ally. He described Greenland as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.”
Trump also signaled a sharp shift in tone from past skepticism about regime change, brushing aside concerns from within his own base. “You know, rebuilding there and regime change, anything you want to call it, is better than what you have right now. Can’t get any worse,” he said.
The warning contrasted with praise Trump offered Rodríguez just a day earlier, following U.S. strikes in Caracas that resulted in Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores being taken into custody. At the time, Trump said Rodríguez had privately expressed a willingness to work with the United States, which he said would temporarily “run” the country.
The message from Trump was unmistakable. Cooperation brings stability. Defiance brings consequences.
Leave a Comment