Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) recently appeared in an interview on NBC 6, where she criticized President Donald Trump and his administration for continuing to support interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez despite her ties to former President Nicolás Maduro.
“Delcy Rodriguez is responsible for carrying out the brutality, the brutal orders of Nicolas Maduro,” Rep. Wasserman Schultz said. “Trump is saying, oh, you know, he's so thrilled with the way she's cooperating. Well, just the other day, she said she's sick and tired of taking orders from the US.”
“Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela,” Rodríguez told a group of oil workers at an event broadcast by state-run channel Venezolana de Televisión. “Let Venezuelan politics resolve our differences and our internal conflicts. This Republic has paid a very high price for having to confront the consequences of fascism and extremism in our country.”
President Trump was asked about these comments, to which he replied, “I don’t know exactly what’s going on there, but I haven’t heard that at all. We have a very good relationship.”
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R) is another Florida lawmaker who has expressed his disapproval. In a scathing post on X, Gimenez demanded the release of political prisoner Juan Pablo Guanipa, adding that Rodriguez is “very mistaken if she can mock the United States so shamelessly.”
“The interim dictator Delcy Rodríguez is very mistaken if she thinks she can mock the United States so shamelessly. From the United States Congress, we demand the immediate release of Juan Pablo Guanipa,” Gimenez said.
President Trump had previously claimed that Venezuela was to be run by the U.S. in the wake of Maduro’s capture, but has since backtracked and pivoted to supporting Rodriguez, claiming he had spoken by phone with the acting leader and praised her as a “terrific person.” “I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela,” he added.
