Venezuela’s Delcy Rodríguez Publicly Thanks Trump and Rubio for ‘Goodwill’ Toward Caracas

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, acting in a presidential capacity during Nicolás Maduro’s temporary absence, publicly thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday for what she described as ‘goodwill’ in restoring bilateral relations. The unusual overture from a senior figure in the Maduro government comes amid heightened U.S. military pressure in the southern Caribbean and ongoing disputes over migration, oil sanctions, and narcotrafficking allegations.

Rodríguez, a longtime confidante of Maduro and one of the most powerful figures in Venezuela’s ruling socialist party (PSUV), delivered her remarks during a public event in Caracas, crediting Washington with demonstrating a willingness to resume pragmatic dialogue on matters of mutual concern. Her comments stand in contrast to the often combative rhetoric the Maduro government has historically directed at Washington, and they arrive at a delicate moment: the Trump administration has simultaneously authorized aggressive counternarcotics strikes in Caribbean waters while quietly maintaining channels that have facilitated prisoner releases and the repatriation of Venezuelan migrants.

The backdrop is a diplomatic paradox. On one hand, Secretary Rubio—a Cuban-American who has long been among the most hawkish voices on Venezuela policy in Washington—has championed tightened sanctions and publicly questioned the legitimacy of Maduro’s claim to a third term following the July 28, 2024 election, in which opposition tallies and independent observers reported a decisive victory for candidate Edmundo González Urrutia. On the other hand, envoy Richard Grenell has conducted multiple trips to Caracas that produced the release of American detainees and the restart of deportation cooperation. Rodríguez’s language of ‘goodwill’ appears to reference that latter track.

Analysts watching the bilateral file say Rodríguez’s public praise may serve multiple strategic purposes for Caracas: signaling domestic audiences that the government remains internationally engaged, testing whether Washington is open to further easing of oil licensing, and driving a wedge between differing factions within the Trump administration’s foreign policy team. Chevron’s limited operating license in Venezuela, the fate of Venezuelans with Temporary Protected Status in the United States, and the designation of the Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization all remain live policy questions likely to shape what comes next.