Nicolás Maduro sat in a Manhattan courtroom this week entering a not-guilty plea, but the political machinery he built in Caracas continues to hum without him. In a move that has stunned the Venezuelan opposition and cemented a new era of transactional diplomacy, President Trump has bypassed the country’s popular democratic movement to back Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as the interim leader. The decision prioritizes the stability of oil markets and migration controls over the democratic transition promised to millions of voters.
Anatoly Kurmanaev, a reporter for The New York Times, described the atmosphere in Caracas as surreal. Following the military operation that extracted Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the capital did not erupt in mass celebration or grief. Instead, a tense silence took hold.
“It felt like I was in a zombie movie.”
— Anatoly Kurmanaev, The New York Times
Residents described a night of confusion and adrenaline. Carolina Hill, who lives near a major military complex, watched her building go dark before explosions shook her windows. For others, the initial shock gave way to fleeting hope.
“We were waiting for that for years. We were crying with my girlfriend as we believed the dictatorship had finally fallen.”
— Juan, Caracas resident
But the morning light revealed a starker reality. The regime’s apparatus remains largely intact, now led by Rodríguez, a longtime insider who has managed to secure Washington’s favor despite her deep ties to the socialist ruling party.
The Transactional Pivot
The choice of Rodríguez over María Corina Machado, the opposition leader who galvanized the electorate in 2024, reflects a shift in American priorities. Machado had built a movement on moral clarity and a refusal to negotiate with what she termed a criminal enterprise.
That rigidity became a liability in Washington.
Kurmanaev said Machado failed to adapt to the “transactional approach” of the returning Trump administration. While she spoke of human dignity and freedom, the White House was looking for a partner who could guarantee oil exports and stem the flow of migrants.
Rodríguez positioned herself as that pragmatist. Over recent years, she and a circle of technocrats quietly dismantled the country’s socialist economic controls, allowing a form of raw capitalism to take root amidst the corruption. She proved she could keep the economy afloat, however unequally.
“She has turned Venezuela into a radically capitalist society where there is practically no regulation.”
— Anatoly Kurmanaev
The breakdown between Machado and Washington became evident when Richard Grenell, Trump’s envoy, arrived in Caracas. Machado’s insistence that democratic principles were non-negotiable clashed with Grenell’s mission to cut a deal. The Trump administration eventually viewed he