Maduro Is Out Delcy Rodríguez Closed the Door Behind Him : Her Honeymoon With Trump

How is Venezuela faring after the spectacular downfall of autocrat Nicolás Maduro and his exfiltration to the United States with his wife? Apparently, the country is doing well, and life has quickly resumed its course. Life is stronger than anything, always. Forgetting can be a calamity in certain situations, but it can also be a divine grace. It allows wounds to cauterize and people to move forward. Maduro has been languishing in U.S. jails since January 3. It is so recent, and yet his fellow citizens already seem to have “buried” him. He sowed violence, he reaps hatred, and he will perish in anonymity.

For 12 years at the helm of his country, he falsified election after election. An iron fist that sought to cut down any head that rose above the rest, to repress, torture, and kill all those who dared challenge him. He cultivated violence, he harvested hatred, and he will die in the anonymity of American prisons, far from the gilded splendor of his palaces. When he left, only a handful of Venezuelans took to the streets to protest…

Citizens stayed holed up in their homes out of fear—of the Americans—but most did not move because there was no reason to. What do they owe Maduro? What did he ever do for them, other than keep them in poverty while he and his inner circle wallowed in opulence? Poverty and destitution in a country sitting atop some of the largest oil reserves on the planet. Spot the mistake.

Maduro could not—or would not—break with the anti-American ideology of former president Hugo Chávez, a puerile struggle that led them to believe the happiness of the people lay in nationalizing the oil industry, drastically slashing investment, and expelling American operators in 2001. They wanted to stand alone, facing underinvestment in the name of anti-Americanism. In the end, it was the United States that won.

I am not saying that ordinary Venezuelans have anything to gain from this liberation that no one expected. Everyone knows it is oil that drives President Donald Trump, not democratic ideals or the rule of law. But as a Venezuelan refugee told the French channel LCI, they have never seen the color of that black gold anyway—so whether Washington takes hold of it or not changes nothing for them…

The gains lie elsewhere. The immediate gains are in this tangible opening—an opening forced by the return of the U.S. military to the country. The regime can no longer repress and brutalize in the anonymity of dungeons and barracks; now everything is known, seen, and reported, with media outlets on constant alert. January 3 completely changed the equation. Inevitably, necessarily, there will be a before and an after.

Delcy Rodríguez Does Everything to Avoid Maduro’s Fate

The regime is now embodied by the vice president elevated to president, Delcy Rodríguez. She appears to have forgotten her former association with Maduro. Above all, she does not want to end up like him—or worse—as the U.S. president has made clear. She watches every word and every move, and so far it has been a flawless performance on the political and diplomatic fronts. The fallen president would not put it that way from his New York cell, but who still cares about him?

Trump and Ms. Rodríguez are cooing, exchanging pleasantries, showering one another with compliments, and sketching out the future. Just yesterday, Wednesday, January 14, they held a “long conversation,” the first exchange made public since Maduro’s disgrace. The former iron lady, described by Trump as a “wonderful person,” even went so far as to announce a “new era.” Time will tell, but what is certain is that enthusiasm is running high—at least on the surface.

Then there are other developments, just as spectacular as Maduro’s downfall. The president, her brother Jorge Rodríguez, speaker of the National Assembly, and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello—the regime’s three key figures—faced the press at the presidential palace on Wednesday. The country “is opening up to a new political era, an era that allows for understanding despite differences, and through ideological and political diversity,” the president promised.

When journalists asked about a possible visit to Washington or Colombia (another country that has quickly moved closer to Trump), the president’s brother replied with a touch of humor: the head of state’s passport “has expired.” That is where things stand—jokes and quips after decades of leaden repression. More telling still, Ms. Rodríguez assured that the release of political prisoners would continue, citing 406 detainees freed since last December.

She added that Maduro himself had initiated this easing of tensions before his capture, a claim she makes largely to avoid being labeled unscrupulous. She omits mention of the U.S. warships massed off Venezuela’s shores. That, and nothing else, is what forced the former president to scale back. Since his departure, events have accelerated. Opposition figures, journalists, members of opposition press teams, and American citizens have been released from prison.

Trump Has Made His Choice—To Hell With the Nobel Peace Prize

There are still some 800 political prisoners, according to NGOs, so much work remains to be done, but movement is underway. For example, on Tuesday evening citizens were delighted to regain access to the social network X, which Maduro had blocked for more than a year. That is no small thing.

“We are making significant progress by helping to stabilize and rebuild Venezuela. Many topics were discussed, including oil, minerals, trade, and of course national security. This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be spectacular for everyone. Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more than ever before!” Trump enthused.

It remains to be seen whether he will deliver on everything he said, but for now the key point is the new momentum. Enthusiasm is such that everyone wants to be part of it, starting with the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado. She envisioned herself in Maduro’s place, but advisers to the U.S. president reportedly warned that the transplant would not take, given the regime’s power brokers who control the army and the police and will fight to preserve their privileges.

Trump opted for stability—it is better for business—and stability means Ms. Rodríguez. Ms. Machado is due at the White House this Thursday; it is even said that she has decided to hand her Nobel Prize to the Republican, after proposing that the committee add Trump’s name to the distinction. Proof that she is ready to do anything to exist within Venezuela’s new architecture. But Washington has made its choice…

Ms. Rodríguez spoke of a “long, productive and courteous” call with the strongman of the United States—and of the planet. “We discussed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as outstanding issues in the relationship between our governments,” she said. It is on her that the United States of America is betting—for now.