Rubio suggests US won’t rule Venezuela on a day-to-day basis

Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to alleviate concerns the question of whether assertive U.S. action to achieve regime change could again produce protracted foreign intervention or a failed attempt at nation building. They contrasted with Trump’s broad but vague assertions that the United States would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation, comments that suggested some sort of governance structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.

Rubio offered a more nuanced view, saying the United States would continue to impose an oil quarantine which was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power on Saturday morning and is using this leverage as a way to push for political changes in Venezuela.

“And so that’s the kind of oversight that the president is referring to when he says that,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “We are maintaining this quarantine and we hope to see changes, not only in the way the oil industry is managed for the benefit of the population, but also to put an end to drug trafficking. »

The blockade of sanctioned oil tankers — some of which were seized by the United States – “remains in place, and this is a huge lever that will continue to be in place until we see changes that not only favor the national interest of the United States, which is number one, but also lead to a better future for the Venezuelan people,” he added.

Venezuelan leaders have so far rebuffed, at least publicly, their call for Maduro’s release.

Even before the operation that arrested Maduro, experts were already questioning the legality of some aspects of the administration’s pressure campaign on Venezuela, including the deadly bombing of boats accused of drug trafficking which, according to some researchers, pushes the limits of international law.

Trump reiterated his promise that the United States would ‘run’ Venezuela

Trump’s promise to “rule” Venezuela, repeated more than a half-dozen times during a news conference in Florida on Saturday, has raised concerns among some Democrats. It also sparked unease among parts of his own Republican coalition, including the “America First” base opposed to foreign interventions, as well as observers who recalled past nation-building efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rubio rejected those criticisms, saying Trump’s intent had been misunderstood.

“The entire foreign policy apparatus thinks everything is Libya, everything is Iraq, everything is Afghanistan,” Rubio said. “We’re not in the Middle East. And our mission here is very different. We’re in the Western Hemisphere.”

Rubio also suggested that the United States would give Maduro’s subordinates now in power time to govern, saying: “We’re going to judge everything by what they do.” ” And while he doesn’t rule out a presence on the ground in Venezuela, Rubio said the United States, which has increased its presence in the region, is already capable of stopping sanctioned drug boats and oil tankers.

A day earlier, Trump told reporters: “We’re going to lead the country until we can make a safe, appropriate and wise transition.” » He then pointed to the national security team accompanying him, including Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and said it would be done for a while by “the people standing right behind me. We’re going to handle it, we’re going to bring it back.”

The White House declined to comment beyond what Trump said Saturday.

The arrival of Maduro

Maduro landed at a small airport in the northern suburbs of New York on Saturday afternoon, in the middle of the night. operation that extracted him and his wifeCilia Flores, from their home at a military base in the capital Caracas – an act that Maduro’s government called “imperialist.” The couple faces US charges of participating in a narcoterrorist plot.

The dramatic seizure of the Maduros capped a Intensive pressure campaign on the Trump administration on Venezuela’s autocratic leader and months of covert planning, which culminated in the most assertive U.S. action to achieve regime change since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Legal experts have raised questions on the legality of the operation, which was carried out without Congressional approval.

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez demanded that the United States release Maduro and called him the legitimate leader of the country as her country’s High Court appointed her as interim president. So did the country’s Defense Minister, Senior Gen. Vladimir Padrino López, who said Sunday that the country’s armed forces “categorically reject this cowardly kidnapping.”

Maduro is scheduled to make his first appearance Monday in Manhattan federal court.

Maduro and other Venezuelan officials were indicted in 2020 for narcoterrorism conspiracy, and the The Department of Justice issued a new indictment On Saturday, Maduro and his wife described his administration as a “corrupt and illegitimate government,” fueled by a drug trafficking operation that has flooded the United States with cocaine. The US government does not recognize Maduro as the country’s leader.

The Trump administration has spent months building up U.S. forces in the region and carrying out attacks on ships in the Caribbean. Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean for allegedly transporting drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike in a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels – the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the US campaign began in September.

Calm returns to Venezuela after the American operation

The capital of Venezuela remained unusually calm Sunday with few vehicles circulating and convenience stores, gas stations and other businesses closed. A road usually filled with runners, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts on Sunday had only a handful of people working out.

The presidential palace was guarded by armed civilians and soldiers. In a nearby square, only a sweeper and a soldier stood, and across the street, a church remained closed for the second day in a row.

Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would succeed Maduro. Rodriguez, however, stressed during an appearance on state television on Saturday that she was not considering taking power, before Venezuela’s High Court ordered that she assume the interim role. Trump told The Atlantic in an interview Sunday that Rodríguez could “pay a very big price” if she doesn’t do what he thinks is right for Venezuela.

That contrasts with the Republican president’s comments about Rodríguez on Saturday, when he said Rubio had spoken to him and that she was willing to do what the United States deemed necessary to improve living standards in Venezuela.

Trump told the magazine that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she’s going to pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro’s.”

Trump told the New York Post in an interview on Saturday that the United States would not need to station troops in Venezuela if it “does what we want.”

Caracas resident David Leal arrived at the parking lot where he parks his vehicles for a living and quickly realized he probably wouldn’t see any customers for a second day.

“People are still shaken,” Leal, 77, said.