The arrest of Venezuelan tyrant and narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro is a triumph for the United States, and one for which President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the great warriors who carried out last Saturday’s mission deserve all the credit. Thanks to this administration, we could see a future where Venezuelan drugs are gone from American streets, migrants return home to build a better future in a free and prosperous Venezuela, and Maduro’s authoritarian allies in Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow no longer have a beachhead from which to wreak havoc across America.
But that huge achievement could disappear if we don’t get the next part right.
According to reports, the government is demanding that interim President Delcy Rodriguez commit to cracking down on drug trafficking; expelling foreign agents hostile to the United States; ending oil sales to U.S. adversaries; and ultimately facilitating free elections.
These are absolutely the right priorities. But we should be under no illusions: none of the first three demands will be met if we do not loudly and publicly prioritize the restoration of Venezuelan democracy.
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Government supporters tear an American flag in half during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had captured President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores. (Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)
As Secretary of State in the first Trump administration, I dealt with Rodriguez and her cohort firsthand, and I can personally attest to their hardline socialist, anti-American credentials.
There is no reason to believe that Rodriguez and her cronies will do more than try to buy time while securing their positions as part of a reconstituted, Maduro-in-all-but-name government. These people are ideologically and financially committed to the terrible model of governance that has destroyed their once-rich country and will do anything in their power to maintain the status quo.
Such an outcome would completely defeat the purpose of America’s bold intervention—and, in the long run, undermine President Donald Trump’s goal of reasserting American dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
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Let’s be clear: Rodriguez has no legal authority to hold the office she currently holds, and only became “vice president” thanks to two stolen elections and a rule through corruption and fear. Venezuela, in fact, has a legitimate constitutional alternative ready to govern. Despite all possible obstacles in their path, the Venezuelan people have voted for the democratic opposition candidate in successive elections: first Juan Guaidó in 2019, then Edmundo Gonzalez, who took the place of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado after being disqualified from running in 2024.
Gonzalez won 70% of the vote; had Machado been allowed to run, the margin would likely have been even greater. That would be a stunning mandate in a functioning democracy – in an authoritarian system where the state uses all available levers to suppress opposition, it is truly remarkable.
In both elections, the Maduro government prevented the rightful presidents from taking power. But the opposition did not retreat; it was aimed at ensuring that when the moment of freedom came, they would be ready to lead. Their goals for Venezuela are similar to ours: to end state-sponsored drug trafficking; the restoration of private property and a productive free market economy; and the defenestration of Cuba, Iran, China and Russia from their countries.
In line with the approach we adopted during my time at the State Department, when we made the bold decision to recognize Guaidó as the rightful president of Venezuela, the current administration should recognize Gonzalez as interim president as a first step in the country’s democratic transition.
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Given the irregular circumstances in which the 2024 election took place, it would make the most sense to hold new, special elections at some point in the future. But the legitimacy of Gonzalez and Machado cannot be questioned; they must play a leading role in the country’s transition, and America should make that abundantly clear.
There is no reason to believe that Rodriguez and her cronies will do more than try to buy time while securing their positions as part of a reconstituted, Maduro-in-all-but-name government.
The same pressure – enforcement of oil sanctions, bans, airspace controls – can be used to force the Venezuelan military, the true infrastructure glue for the Chavista regime, to change its behavior. And if Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino are unwilling to give President Gonzalez effective control over the armed forces, the United States can do what is necessary to support the Venezuelan people’s choice.
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This is not regime change – it restores Venezuela’s existing constitutional order, which was trampled by the illegitimate Maduro regime, but which is in fact the country’s true legal governing authority. And from a position of pure self-interest, this is the only way to ensure that the most pro-American, pro-free market voices take power in Venezuela and prevent our adversaries from regaining a foothold in our hemisphere.
None of this will be easy. But if the government wants to maximize the gains of the past week, establishing a roadmap that empowers Venezuela’s legitimate democratic opposition is the only way forward.
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