Trump Met With Venezuela's Interim President, Delcy Rodríguez
- 23.09.2026, 9:35
For the first time since Maduro's arrest.
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez late in the evening on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. This was their first meeting since U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, according to Reuters.
The brief conversation took place at a reception hosted by Trump during Rodríguez’s first visit to the U.S. since taking office.
The Venezuelan delegation is seeking to present the country as an attractive destination for investment, two sources told Reuters.
Rodriguez called the conversation with Trump a historic step toward strengthening ties with the U.S. in the areas of energy, mining, and security.
“Venezuela and the United States share a historic relationship, which we must now develop through dialogue in this new phase. We will continue to pursue a foreign policy that serves our national interests and is aimed at achieving concrete results and ensuring the common good for the people of Venezuela,” she wrote on her Telegram channel following the talks.
Trump has established a working relationship with Rodríguez, who previously served as vice president under Maduro. However, critics argue that Washington has sidelined the opposition led by María Corina Machado, abandoning demands for free elections in favor of striking oil and investment deals with the interim government, Reuters reports.
In his address to the General Assembly, Trump called Maduro a “criminal dictator,” noted that hundreds of political prisoners had been released following the raid, and cited the operation as proof that the U.S. would defend its interests in the Western Hemisphere.
“The winner takes the spoils,” he said, calling the oil deal his administration struck with Caracas last month “perhaps the biggest deal in history.”
Trump has expressed his desire to attract $100 billion in investment into Venezuela’s oil industry. According to sources, Rodríguez arrived in New York on Monday as part of a delegation conducting negotiations on energy, mining, and debt issues with U.S. officials, international creditors, and companies.
The head of the Inter-American Development Bank is working to secure approval for a $2.5 billion loan to Venezuela but is facing opposition from some members of the bank’s board of directors.
Earlier on Tuesday, more than 50 protesters gathered outside the UN building, carrying Venezuelan flags and signs reading “No elections—no oil” and “New face—same regime” to protest Rodríguez’s visit.
Many of them expressed hope that Trump would insist on free elections being held in the country.
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