Media: US urges Venezuela’s Rodríguez to boost drug crackdown to avoid Maduro's fate

The Trump administration is demanding that Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, take several pro-US actions that her predecessor refused—such as strengthening efforts to combat drug trafficking—if she wants to avoid a similar fate.

US officials have informed Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, that they expect her to take at least three key actions: crack down on drug flows; expel Iranian, Cuban, and other operatives linked to countries or networks hostile to Washington; and halt oil sales to US adversaries, according to a US official familiar with the situation and a person familiar with the administration’s internal discussions, POLITICO reports.

Officials also anticipate that Rodríguez will eventually facilitate free elections and step aside, the two sources said. However, the timelines for these demands remain flexible, and US officials emphasise that no elections are imminent.

Two days after the US conducted an operation in Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolás Maduro, many details about Washington’s post-strike strategy remain unclear. The White House frames Maduro’s removal as a law enforcement action against a drug lord rather than a regime-change operation or a war, using this rationale to justify its limited measures so far. 

Still, President Donald Trump’s taste for dramatic action and targeted strikes could face its ultimate test in Venezuela, an economically struggling nation of 30 million, where missteps risk triggering violence and broader instability.

Rodríguez appears central to any emerging US strategy. Despite her long-standing alliance with Maduro and strong socialist credentials, the Trump administration is confident she will comply with its directives. If she does not, Trump has warned of significant military consequences.

“Venezuela, thus far, has been very nice. But it helps to have a force like we have,” Trump told reporters on January 4, on Air Force One. “If they don’t behave, we will do a second strike.”

The White House declined to comment. The State Department referred POLITICO to earlier statements from Rubio, who said the administration expects more cooperation from Rodríguez than it did from Maduro. Venezuela’s UN mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

By Jeyhun Aghazada