Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has publicly rebuked what she described as growing pressure from Washington, saying she has had “enough” of US orders as she attempts to stabilize the country following the US capture of former leader Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking on Sunday to oil workers in the eastern city of Puerto La Cruz, Rodríguez called for Venezuelans to resolve their political differences without foreign interference. “Enough already of Washington’s orders over politicians in Venezuela,” she said during remarks broadcast on state television. “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.”
Rodríguez, a longtime Maduro ally who served as his deputy, has been navigating a delicate political balance since being backed by the United States as interim leader following Maduro’s capture in early January. While Washington has sought to position her as a stabilizing figure capable of unifying the country, Rodríguez has faced the challenge of retaining the loyalty of Maduro-era power structures while responding to US demands on economic and foreign policy.
The White House has maintained sustained pressure on Caracas since Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized in a US raid and transferred to the United States, where Maduro faces criminal charges. In the immediate aftermath, US President Donald Trump declared that Washington was “going to run” Venezuela, before later endorsing Rodríguez as acting president. Earlier this month, Trump said he had spoken with Rodríguez by phone, describing her as a “terrific person” and claiming relations between the two governments were progressing well.
Despite that apparent warmth, US officials have outlined a series of far-reaching demands. According to senior White House sources, Washington has pressed Venezuela to sharply realign its foreign policy, including cutting ties with China, Iran, Russia, and Cuba. The Trump administration has also sought exclusive partnerships for US oil companies and urged Caracas to rapidly resume oil production under US oversight.
Oil remains Venezuela’s economic backbone. The country holds the world’s largest reserves of extra-heavy crude, a resource that is costly to process but well suited to US refineries. Control over future production and export agreements is widely seen as central to Washington’s strategy in the post-Maduro era, placing Rodríguez under intense external pressure even as she seeks to project national sovereignty.
Inside Venezuela, Rodríguez faces a fragmented political landscape. Maduro loyalists remain embedded across state institutions, while left-wing factions critical of Maduro’s rule and so-called “Chavistas No-Maduristas” accuse the former president of abandoning Hugo Chávez’s socialist legacy. The traditional opposition, meanwhile, has yet to define its role. Trump said last week that he would like to see opposition leader María Corina Machado involved in the country’s leadership, after hosting her at the White House earlier this month. Machado presented Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize during the visit.
Human rights have emerged as another key point of contention. The US has demanded the release of political prisoners, and on Sunday at least 104 detainees were freed, according to the rights group Foro Penal. The organization said the releases marked one of the largest single-day totals since the government announced earlier this month that it would free a “significant number” of prisoners as a goodwill gesture.
Foro Penal said at least 266 detainees have been released since January 8. Rodríguez, however, claimed on Friday that 626 people had been freed in recent weeks and said she would ask the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to verify the figure. Activists and opposition groups have criticized the government for failing to publish a comprehensive list of those released.
Rodríguez’s sharp language toward Washington signals growing strain in a relationship that remains essential to her political survival. While she has stopped short of direct confrontation with the United States, her remarks suggest an effort to reassert autonomy at home and reassure domestic audiences wary of foreign influence.
As Venezuela enters a volatile transition period, Rodríguez’s ability to balance US expectations with internal cohesion may determine whether the country moves toward stability or slips back into deeper political confrontation.
