Trump Ignores Venezuelan Opposition and Bets on Delcy Rodríguez

President Donald Trump himself took charge of this matter. At a press conference from Mar-a-Lago on the morning of January 3rd, he stated that he would bring Venezuela under U.S. control and completely dismissed opposition leader María Corina Machado as a potential transition leader, considering that she “lacks the necessary support and respect within the country.”Trump's decision to ignore the opposition leader was somewhat unusual. Being backed by Marco Rubio, it contradicted those opposition groups and also put Cuban-American congressmen in an awkward position, who now have to decide between aligning with the White House or being consistent with the “democratic expectations of their own electoral bases.”The reaction of the radical Venezuelan opposition is understandable, as they have always seen the U.S. Secretary of State as a firm ally who has supported them at every turn to date.First of all, Marco Rubio has not spoken about restoring “democracy” in Venezuela soon, which, at least for now, has left María Corina Machado and Edmundo González—who claims to have won the 2024 elections—on the sidelines.Vance and Marco Rubio.By Ramón BernalIndymediaFollowing the illegal U.S. military aggression that concluded with the violent kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, extremist Venezuelan opposition groups in exile flocked to the streets to celebrate.“I just had a conversation with her, and she is essentially willing to do what we consider necessary to make Venezuela great again,” added Trump.It is evident that the U.S. administration decided to ignore Corina Machado not only because she lacks the immediate operational capacity to take power in Venezuela, but also because they see her as a disruptive element.According to analysts, imposing a government perceived as alien to chavismo could lead to a civil war in which Washington is unwilling to get involved with troops on the ground.Therefore, the White House bet on Delcy Rodríguez to avoid a power vacuum and because she also represented the safest option to preserve the country's stability, which is its main priority at this stage.In effect, this Cuban-born politician, known for his far-right positions, has for years been the main promoter of all kinds of pressure measures and economic sanctions against Venezuela, including the use of military force, with the aim of provoking a regime change.That is why they were caught by surprise.And to top off Corina Machado and her entourage's party, at that same press conference the U.S. president made it clear that Marco Rubio is working directly with Maduro's Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez.In this way, the head of U.S. diplomacy not only fulfills an old aspiration but also represents a personal victory for him, especially within a government where fervent critics of regime change attempts in Venezuela manifested themselves, in particular, Vice President J.D.And that would be the end of his political career.Of course, not out of sympathy for chavismo, but out of simple political calculation.By emerging as its main beneficiary, Marco Rubio fully engages in a risky political tightrope act.If that were to happen, the United States would have to militarily occupy it to ensure its strategic interests, which would lead to an exponential increase in spending, not to mention the loss of American soldiers' lives.He will have to navigate the dangerous minefield of nation-building and also regain the trust of U.S. legislators who accuse him of lying to Congress.According to experts, Americans fear that the situation could get out of hand.“It only becomes a huge political problem if the issue grows and costs more and more,” according to Justin Logan, director of studies at the prestigious Cato Institute.That probable complex scenario would carry a high political cost for the U.S. administration, which would also significantly harm the Republicans in the upcoming elections.And despite the fact that talks with the chavistas may result in a somewhat uncomfortable transition, they take for granted that they can handle them under pressure to achieve all their objectives.In this military operation, what prevails are the geopolitical interests of the United States in the region, in line with its new national security strategy.He wants to be president; he ran in 2016 and will now seek to become a candidate for the Republican debate ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.There are many variables that could destabilize the country and provoke a civil war.And in the face of this situation, do not have the slightest doubt that the one Trump will hold responsible and make pay the price will be “Little Marco,” as the president himself called him to mock him when they competed during the 2016 Republican primaries.His goal is to take control of the country before, during, and after the so-called transition, but without having to militarily occupy it.It mattered little to those “patriots” that a foreign power carried out a military operation against their Homeland, and even less that about 100 people lost their lives and probably an even higher number were injured.But the celebrations were short-lived.This will allow him to seize its strategic resources, first and foremost, oil—the country with the most important reserves in the world—the rare minerals of the Orinoco basin, among others, in addition to defending the petrodollar system.Certainly, the military aggression achieved the initially planned goals.The most complex and dangerous part begins only after the military aggression.He will face Vice President J.D. Vance, whom many see as the natural heir to Donald Trump.However, the former Republican senator from Florida should not rush.Vance.J.D.