President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened Venezuela’s newly appointed leader, Delcy Rodríguez, saying she would face consequences “probably bigger than Maduro” if she defies U.S. demands for political and economic reform.

Trump’s remarks, made in an interview with The Atlantic, came hours after Rodríguez condemned the U.S. military operation that led to the capture and transfer of former president Nicolás Maduro to a New York jail. The warning marked a sharp reversal from Trump’s comments a day earlier, when he praised Rodríguez as someone “necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally, rejected cooperation with Washington, declaring Maduro the country’s “only” legitimate leader and vowing to defend Venezuela’s oil reserves from what she described as U.S. aggression. “The masks have fallen,” she said, accusing the United States of pursuing regime change under false pretenses.

The defiance prompted an immediate response from Marco Rubio, who said Rodríguez cannot serve as Venezuela’s interim leader and pledged that the United States would not recognize or support her administration. Rubio reiterated Washington’s call for free and internationally supervised elections, noting that the U.S. and several allies never recognized Maduro’s 2024 reelection.

Trump also suggested that further U.S. military action remains on the table if Venezuela’s leadership resists American pressure.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)