Mike Pompeo warned President Trump against trusting Delcy Rodríguez, calling her a "bad actor" and a "committed Chavista." He expressed doubt that any improvement in her behavior would be sustainable and argued that longstanding power networks tied to the Chávez era still influence Venezuela. The story also notes President Trump’s public praise for Rodríguez and his contested statements about transferring 30–50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil to the U.S., while experts stress uncertainty about how Rodríguez would manage the economy and military interests.
Pompeo Warns Trump: Don’t Rely On Delcy Rodríguez, Calls Her a ‘Bad Actor’
Pompeo warns Trump not to trust ‘bad actor’ Delcy Rodríguez to run Venezuela
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged President Donald Trump to be cautious about placing trust in Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodríguez, calling her a "bad actor" and a "committed Chavista." Pompeo made the remarks during an interview on WABC 770 AM's "Cats & Cosby."
Pompeo questioned whether any apparent change in Rodríguez’s behavior would last. "I hope he’s right, but I doubt it will be sustainable," Pompeo said, referencing a recent comment from President Trump that Rodríguez had been "behaving pretty well."
"These are not good people, and not the folks that will ultimately get the United States what it needs to have from a free and democratic Venezuela," Pompeo told hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby.
Pompeo characterized Rodríguez as loyal to the late President Hugo Chávez’s political movement and warned that many of the same power brokers and informal networks that were influential during Chávez’s tenure continue to shape Venezuelan politics today.
Background: Delcy Rodríguez served in Chávez’s administration and later held senior posts under Nicolás Maduro, including Minister of Communication and Information and Minister of Foreign Affairs. Maduro named her vice president in 2018. Her long record in Chavista governments is central to critics’ concerns about whether she can deliver a credible break from past practices.
President Trump has publicly spoken positively about Rodríguez and has made broad claims about U.S. plans involving Venezuelan oil. Trump said last week that Venezuela would transfer between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States to be sold on the open market; those assertions were reported as Trump’s statements and have not been independently verified in this article.
Rebecca Hanson, an assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Center for Latin American Studies, told The Hill that it remains unclear how Rodríguez would reopen Venezuela’s economy in a way that meets international expectations while avoiding measures that might sharply conflict with the military’s economic interests.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado met with President Trump at the White House on Thursday. Machado praised steps aimed at removing Nicolás Maduro from power but did not publicly dispute Trump’s claim that she lacks broad domestic support to be Venezuela’s leader.
One unusual anecdote from the White House visit: Machado reportedly presented her Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump. The Nobel Institute notes that Nobel medals and diplomas are generally not transferable once awarded, and public reports have been unclear about whether the medal actually changed hands.
Note on reporting: This article attributes claims and reported statements to the people who made them (Pompeo and Trump). Some claims referenced in those statements—such as plans for control or transfer of Venezuelan oil—have not been independently verified here.
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