US President Donald Trump increased pressure on Venezuela by issuing a harsh, direct warning to Delcy Rodriguez, raising regional tensions to unprecedented levels. He asserted that the interim president will face far more severe consequences than her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, if "It does not align with Washington's interests." "If he doesn't do what is right, he's going to pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro," the president stated in a telephone interview with The Atlantic magazine. Trump's words resonate strongly just 24 hours after US special forces captured Maduro in Caracas and transferred him to a federal prison in New York.

A Contradictory Message from the White House

Although on Saturday Trump struck a more conciliatory tone, calling Rodriguez the “valid interlocutor” for a transition, even assuring that the Chavista leader was “essentially willing” to do what the United States considers necessary to “make Venezuela great again,” his patience seems to have run out in the face of the official's defiant rhetoric, who described Maduro's removal as an “illegal kidnapping.”

In that same appearance, the president went further, stating that Washington was prepared to govern the South American country “for as long as necessary” after Maduro's capture, and openly defended the idea of ??political and economic reconstruction.

Despite his historical reluctance toward foreign intervention under Under the slogan “America First,” Trump defended the military incursion, claiming that the situation in the South American country was untenable. “Rebuilding there and regime change, whatever you want to call it, is better than what we have now; it couldn’t be worse,” he stated, describing Venezuela as a “failed state” and a “disaster in every respect.” Trump also rejected any comparison to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. “I wasn’t responsible for Iraq. That was Bush.”“We should never have gone in there; that was the beginning of the Middle East disaster,” he said, distancing himself from past military interventions.

Rubio opens the door to dialogue, but with conditions

Trump’s warnings coincided with statements from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who asserted that the United States could work better with Delcy Rodriguez than with Nicolas Maduro. In interviews with U.S. media, Rubio stated that the former Venezuelan president broke all the agreements reached with Washington and was never a reliable partner.

“He (Maduro) is not a person who has ever honored any of the agreements he made; “He mocked the Biden Administration,” Rubio lashed out. The US Secretary of State emphasized that Washington is ready to collaborate with the current leadership in Caracas, as long as they make the “right decisions.” According to the US Secretary of State, Washington will judge the new Venezuelan leadership by its actions, not its words. Rubio insisted that the United States' objectives include curbing drug trafficking, preventing the expansion of gangs into US territory, and ensuring that the Venezuelan oil industry benefits its people and not Washington's adversaries. He also clarified that the US does not maintain troops on Venezuelan soil and that the operation to capture Maduro lasted only a few hours. Caracas responds with defiance and growing tension. From Caracas, Delcy Rodriguez reacted harshly to the US operation, calling it an “illegal and illegitimate kidnapping” and assuring that Venezuela will not be “A colony of no one.” In a message laden with nationalist rhetoric, she defended Maduro as the country’s only legitimate leader and affirmed that the government is ready to protect its natural resources.

The Venezuelan Supreme Court confirmed Rodriguez as acting president due to Maduro’s “temporary absence,” a decision publicly supported by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

Meanwhile, Trump warned that he is prepared for a second wave of actions against Venezuela if there is no cooperation, keeping the country on the brink of a new escalation of tensions with the United States.