Donald Trump and Delcy Rodríguez solidified the unusual and close relationship that has formed between them as leaders of the United States and Venezuela; two countries that were once fierce enemies and have now become close partners.
Important Discussions at the Lotte Palace Hotel
This meeting took place on Tuesday evening in New York, and according to a source at the White House, besides Trump, Marco Rubio, Secretary of State; Scott Basset, Secretary of the Treasury; Suzy Wiles, Trump's Chief of Staff; and Stephen Miller, National Security Advisor, were also present.
Delcy Rodríguez stated in a message on X that she had a "historic meeting" with Trump; a meeting in which they discussed strengthening bilateral relations and "advancing a program for cooperation in strategic areas such as energy, mining, security, and other mutual interests." She also thanked Trump and his administration for the support provided after the earthquakes in June in Venezuela and for "supporting the country's return" to multilateral institutions.
Close to Maduro's Prison
This meeting was held behind closed doors at the Lotte Palace Hotel during a reception that Trump organized for foreign leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly. This luxurious hotel is located in the heart of Manhattan and is less than 15 kilometers from the Brooklyn jail where Nicolás Maduro, the former President of Venezuela, is imprisoned.
However, it seems that neither Trump nor Rodríguez is focused on Maduro's fate anymore; Maduro was arrested by U.S. military forces sent to Caracas by Trump in January, and Rodríguez, who was his deputy, took his place as interim President of Venezuela with Washington's approval.
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Since then, Trump has emphasized that the U.S. will manage Venezuela and has announced controversial agreements with Rodríguez; including an agreement last month under which the U.S. gains control over more than one-fifth of this South American country's vast oil reserves.
Profound Changes in the Relationship Between the Two Countries
In his speech before the United Nations General Assembly, filled with leaders from various countries, including Delcy Rodríguez, Trump referred to Maduro as a "dictator" and a "criminal," but once again raised the issue that U.S. military action in Venezuela to arrest him has had an economic payoff.
While there are currently no elections in Venezuela on the horizon and no change in the government, this first in-person meeting between Trump and Rodríguez marks the peak of their closeness.
Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America program at the Stimson Center, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, told BBC Mundo: "It seems that Trump is uninterested in a democratic transition in Venezuela and is satisfied with his relationship with the current authoritarian government."
To understand how much the Trump administration's relationship with Venezuela has changed, one only needs to recall the tough confrontation the two sides had a few years ago. In 2019, during his first term, Trump said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York: "Cuba is plundering Venezuela's oil wealth to maintain its corrupt communist regime."
He added: "We look forward to the day when democracy is restored and Venezuela is free."
Rodríguez, who represented Venezuela at this global assembly that year, accused the Trump administration of using economic sanctions to force her country to change its government, employing a "new kind of state terrorism."
But now, after the first meeting between the sitting Presidents of the United States and Venezuela in over a decade, at least in the public sphere, there has been no blame or democratic demands raised between them.
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