Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodríguez Reiterated that She is in Charge of the Venezuelan Government
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, reiterated on Monday that she is in charge of the Venezuelan government, after US President Donald Trump posted a manipulated image of her Wikipedia profile on Sunday, in which he claims to be “interim president of Venezuela” in January 2026. “From here we ratify and reaffirm the sovereignty and independence of Venezuela. I’ve seen cartoons on Wikipedia about who’s in charge in Venezuela. Here there is a government that’s in charge in Venezuela,” Rodríguez stated, without mentioning Trump, during a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión. Rodríguez stressed that there is an interim president in Venezuela and described President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured on January 3 along with his wife, Cilia Flores, during a US operation in Caracas, as a “hostage.” “We are making progress in respectful international relations, within the framework of international law, to uphold and protect the rights of our beloved Venezuela,” she concluded.
US President Donald Trump just posted a stylized image on Truth Social calling himself the “Acting President of Venezuela.” The post came days after reports that Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces. While Venezuela’s top court named Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader, Trump’s post spread fast, leaving many people confused and debating what it actually meant. Trump has on other occasions posted manipulated images or videos from artificial intelligence (AI) with the apparent aim of stirring controversy, and the official Wikipedia page showed no changes and indicated his real position, that of President of the United States. On Sunday, the president said he hopes to visit Venezuela and meet with Delcy Rodríguez “at some point,” and said the United States “is getting along very well with the leadership” of the country after Maduro’s capture.
BBC News: Venezuela: What happened and what’s next?
