Trump Warns Venezuela’s New Leader: “Cooperate or Pay a Bigger Price Than Maduro.”
In a direct challenge to Venezuela’s new leadership, U.S. President Donald Trump has warned the country’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, that she could face severe penalties if she does not cooperate with Washington. This warning comes just days after American forces captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The comments were made in a phone interview with The Atlantic on Sunday, January 4, 2026, and were later reported by other news outlets. President Trump stated that Rodríguez, who now holds a critical position in Venezuela’s transitional government, must align with U.S. expectations.
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“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump said.
This ultimatum follows a dramatic military operation in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas, where U.S. troops arrested Maduro and his wife. The former president was quickly flown to the United States, where he is set to face federal drug trafficking charges.
With Maduro now in U.S. custody, the political focus has shifted to Rodríguez. President Trump made it clear that her future, and potentially the future of U.S.-Venezuela relations, depends entirely on her next moves. He warned that choosing a path of defiance would not only leave her politically isolated but could also lead to more serious personal consequences than those faced by her predecessor.
The statement marks a decisive moment in the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela. It places immediate and heavy pressure on the country’s acting leader, framing cooperation with the United States not as a diplomatic choice, but as a requirement for her political survival. The world now watches to see how Rodríguez will respond to this very public and high-stakes demand from Washington.
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