Marco Rubio Clarifies U.S. Strategy for Venezuela Post-Maduro Capture: Policy Influence, Not Direct Rule
Washington, DC – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to temper President Donald Trump’s bold assertion that America would “run” Venezuela following the dramatic capture of President Nicolás Maduro, emphasizing that Washington aims to steer the South American nation’s policy through economic leverage and naval enforcement rather than day-to-day governance.[3][7]
Rubio’s remarks came during a series of high-profile Sunday morning interviews on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and ABC News, marking his emergence as the Trump administration’s lead voice on the Venezuela crisis.[1][2][3][5] The U.S. special forces operation, which reportedly involved elite Delta Force units, apprehended Maduro and his wife in Caracas early Saturday, flying them to New York to face federal drug trafficking charges.[1][5]
Trump’s Statement and Rubio’s Nuanced Response
President Trump, speaking to reporters Saturday alongside Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, declared, “We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”[3][7] He gestured to his national security team, implying they would oversee operations in Venezuela for a transitional period.
Rubio, however, walked back the perception of direct U.S. control. “This is running this policy,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” framing the effort as a “team effort by the entire national security apparatus.” The goal, he stressed, is to enforce changes beneficial to U.S. national security and the Venezuelan people, who have endured years of hardship under Maduro’s socialist regime.[3]
On CBS, Rubio highlighted the ongoing “oil quarantine” – a naval blockade targeting over 30 sanctioned vessels – as the primary tool of influence. This measure disrupts Maduro’s revenue streams, combats drug trafficking, and seizes illegal oil shipments, all without requiring U.S. boots on the ground beyond current regional deployments.[1][2][7]
Key U.S. Demands: Actions Over Rhetoric
Rubio repeatedly underscored that future U.S. engagement hinges on tangible actions from Venezuela’s interim leadership, not promises. “We’re not going to judge moving forward based simply on what’s said in press conferences,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “What do you do? Not what you’re saying publicly.”[5]
The administration’s checklist is clear and multifaceted:
- Halt drug trafficking to the U.S. and dismantle associated criminal networks.[1][2][5]
- Expel foreign adversaries including Iran, Hezbollah, FARC, and ELN narco-terrorists operating from Venezuelan territory.[1][2][5]
- Stem the mass exodus, described by Rubio as “the largest mass migration event in modern history,” with 8-9 million Venezuelans fleeing since 2014.[2]
- Redirect oil revenues to benefit the people rather than regime cronies, leveraging the oil sector as Washington’s central point of pressure.[2][4][7]
- Ensure regional stability by curbing Venezuela’s role as a haven for malign actors threatening U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere.[1][2]
Rubio rejected calls for immediate elections, calling such expectations “absurd.” “These things take time,” he said. “There’s a process.”[2] Discussions with Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez – now ordered by Venezuela’s high court to assume interim power despite her initial reluctance – are “delicate and complicated,” but will be evaluated by deeds.[1][5][7]
Broadening U.S. Influence in Latin America
The Venezuela gambit represents a pivotal opportunity for Rubio, a long-time critic of Maduro dating back to his Senate days, to reshape Latin America in line with U.S. priorities.[4][6] “This is not the Middle East,” Rubio noted, distinguishing the hemispheric threat from distant conflicts and asserting presidential “optionality” on responses, including potential military presence.[1]
Trump echoed this stance Sunday in an interview with The Atlantic, warning Rodríguez she could “pay a very big price” if she fails to align with U.S. demands.[7] The White House has declined further comment beyond the president’s statements.
Regional and Global Ramifications
Venezuela’s collapse under Maduro fueled alliances with U.S. rivals like China and Iran, enabling operations by groups such as Hezbollah.[1][2] Rubio framed the intervention as essential to preventing the Western Hemisphere from becoming a platform for anti-U.S. activities.
Critics may decry the operation’s audacity, but Rubio positioned it as a necessary evolution of pressure tactics – from sanctions to direct action – after years of failed diplomacy. With Maduro in U.S. custody, the focus shifts to whether Caracas’s new custodians deliver on reforms.
As Rubio put it, the U.S. seeks a Venezuela “completely different than what it looks like today,” one that poses no exportable threats.[2] Over the coming weeks and months, actions in Caracas will determine if Washington’s gamble pays off – for America, the region, and 28 million beleaguered Venezuelans.
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