The Two Faces of Venezuela’s Regime Smile at the U.S. and Glower at Home
After the ouster of Nicolás Maduro, the entrenched Venezuelan leadership softens its tone toward Washington—while anti-American rhetoric endures.
In the days after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power, senior figures in Venezuela’s ruling circle began signaling a thaw with Washington.
On Wednesday, the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said 400 political prisoners would be released. Days before, the notoriously anti-American interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, announced support for restarting diplomatic relations with the U.S. And the leader of the rubber-stamp congress openly called for gestures of peace toward the U.S.
“The message is very clear,” said Rodríguez during the political-prisoners announcement. “Venezuela is entering a new political moment that allows for understanding despite differences.”
Venezuela’s regime remains intact since Maduro was swept out of office by U.S. commandos in a nighttime raid on Jan. 3. But the regime is doing its best to adapt to the new political reality in the face of a mix of threats and overtures from President Trump, who has praised the country’s new leader.
“She’s a terrific person,” Trump said Wednesday from the White House, describing his impressions of Rodríguez after a conversation. “She’s somebody that we’ve worked with very well.” In a social-media post later, Trump said he discussed oil, minerals, trade and national security with Rodríguez. “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” he wrote. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
From Venezuela, Rodríguez called the conversation “courteous” and “within a framework of mutual respect.” She added: “We addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.”
There is a strange, new dynamic that has descended on Venezuela less than two weeks after Maduro was ousted.
On the one hand, the country’s leadership has toned down attacks on the U.S., long a favorite punching bag for Venezuela’s Socialist officials, who long characterized the U.S. as “The Empire” intent on seizing the homeland’s resources.
At the same time, the message to supporters at home remains much as it has always been —with officials casting themselves as anti-imperialists.
On Wednesday, regime supporters marched through the streets of Caracas, carrying a painting of Maduro and signs accusing the U.S. of kidnapping the former strongman and his wife, Cilia Flores.
State television provided coverage, showing a photograph of Maduro and Flores, with an appeal: “The empire kidnapped them, and we want them to be returned.”
“We must continue the battle,” shouted Nahum Fernández, a regime politician who was rallying with other Maduro supporters and demanding his return.
As the regime adapts to the new reality, there are some notable changes. No one is doing what Maduro did on state TV: speaking for hours, almost daily, while lobbing rhetorical bombs at opposition figure María Corina Machado—all while singing, dancing and joking.
On Wednesday, Rodríguez spoke in front of reporters for just four minutes.
On the same day, the regime resumed using its X account after Maduro blocked the social-media platform in 2024 as he sought to clamp down on the opposition during a spat with X’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk. In Caracas, ordinary Venezuelans said they still didn’t have access to X without VPN technology.
“Venezuela remains standing, with strength and historical awareness,” Rodríguez wrote. “Let us continue united, advancing toward economic stability, social justice, and the welfare state we deserve to achieve!”
A day earlier, on Tuesday, Cabello put on a suit and tie—unusual attire for the feared regime enforcer known for commanding brutal paramilitary gunmen—to make a drug-bust announcement with images of cocaine packages and drug-sniffing dogs.
“Neither cocaine nor marijuana nor any drug that the state can intercept on its route will pass through here,” said Cabello, in a toned-down, businesslike manner that contrasted with his past performances, usually on his TV show. “We are militants for peace and sovereignty.”
Cabello, like Maduro, has been indicted in the U.S. on drug charges. And Washington has offered a $25 million reward for Cabello’s capture. He denies wrongdoing.
Carlos Correa, president of Venezuela’s free-speech advocacy group Public Space, said Cabello’s message was likely directed at the U.S., which had partially justified its intervention in Venezuela over the role of top officials in the drug trade.
“It’s a message saying, we’re doing something, particularly for the United States,” said Correa, who was jailed by the regime last year.
The shift in messaging tracks with the new realities the regime faces, he said. “They are starting to talk about dialogue, they are starting to talk about reconciliation,” he said. “They weren’t thinking about those issues six months ago.”
Under Maduro, Venezuela’s regime had at times engaged in talks with its political adversaries, which opposition figures and former U.S. diplomats said formed a strategy to buy time to maintain power.
In the aftermath of Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez enacted a state of emergency to go after people who supported the U.S. operation. The regime deployed pro-regime paramilitaries at checkpoints, where they reviewed people’s cellphones for messages supporting Maduro’s capture.
In Caracas, local human-rights organizations said Wednesday that just 100 political prisoners have been freed over the past week, far less than the figure provided by Rodríguez. Hundreds of other political detainees are still locked up.
And Venezuelans are still getting a steady dose of state propaganda in a country where an enormous state apparatus continues to shape people’s views after private media companies were taken over or banned.
State TV has continued to broadcast images showing the remains of telecommunications infrastructure and medicine repositories that it says the U.S. bombed on Jan. 3. It has run stories accusing Trump of inciting a coup in Iran. One piece played up Cuba saying the U.S. was undermining international stability. Venezuela is an ally of Tehran and Havana.
On Wednesday, the state-run Telesur TV network published a poll that said 91% of Venezuelans backed Rodríguez as the interim president.
Cabello, meanwhile, said in a TV speech earlier this week that he backed resuming diplomatic ties with the U.S. in order to provide protection to Maduro.
As he spoke, he wore a hat with a message for Venezuelans: “To doubt, is to betray.”
Write to Ryan Dubé at ryan.dube@wsj.com
In the days after Nicolás Maduro’s removal from power, senior figures in Venezuela’s ruling circle began signaling a thaw with Washington.
On Wednesday, the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, said 400 political prisoners would be released. Days before, the notoriously anti-American interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, announced support for restarting diplomatic relations with the U.S. And the leader of the rubber-stamp congress openly called for gestures of peace toward the U.S.
“The message is very clear,” said Rodríguez during the political-prisoners announcement. “Venezuela is entering a new political moment that allows for understanding despite differences.”
Venezuela’s regime remains intact since Maduro was swept out of office by U.S. commandos in a nighttime raid on Jan. 3. But the regime is doing its best to adapt to the new political reality in the face of a mix of threats and overtures from President Trump, who has praised the country’s new leader.
“She’s a terrific person,” Trump said Wednesday from the White House, describing his impressions of Rodríguez after a conversation. “She’s somebody that we’ve worked with very well.” In a social-media post later, Trump said he discussed oil, minerals, trade and national security with Rodríguez. “This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be a spectacular one FOR ALL,” he wrote. “Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!”
From Venezuela, Rodríguez called the conversation “courteous” and “within a framework of mutual respect.” She added: “We addressed a bilateral work agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending matters between our governments.”
There is a strange, new dynamic that has descended on Venezuela less than two weeks after Maduro was ousted.
On the one hand, the country’s leadership has toned down attacks on the U.S., long a favorite punching bag for Venezuela’s Socialist officials, who long characterized the U.S. as “The Empire” intent on seizing the homeland’s resources.
At the same time, the message to supporters at home remains much as it has always been —with officials casting themselves as anti-imperialists.
On Wednesday, regime supporters marched through the streets of Caracas, carrying a painting of Maduro and signs accusing the U.S. of kidnapping the former strongman and his wife, Cilia Flores.
State television provided coverage, showing a photograph of Maduro and Flores, with an appeal: “The empire kidnapped them, and we want them to be returned.”
“We must continue the battle,” shouted Nahum Fernández, a regime politician who was rallying with other Maduro supporters and demanding his return.
As the regime adapts to the new reality, there are some notable changes. No one is doing what Maduro did on state TV: speaking for hours, almost daily, while lobbing rhetorical bombs at opposition figure María Corina Machado—all while singing, dancing and joking.
On Wednesday, Rodríguez spoke in front of reporters for just four minutes.
On the same day, the regime resumed using its X account after Maduro blocked the social-media platform in 2024 as he sought to clamp down on the opposition during a spat with X’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk. In Caracas, ordinary Venezuelans said they still didn’t have access to X without VPN technology.
“Venezuela remains standing, with strength and historical awareness,” Rodríguez wrote. “Let us continue united, advancing toward economic stability, social justice, and the welfare state we deserve to achieve!”
A day earlier, on Tuesday, Cabello put on a suit and tie—unusual attire for the feared regime enforcer known for commanding brutal paramilitary gunmen—to make a drug-bust announcement with images of cocaine packages and drug-sniffing dogs.
“Neither cocaine nor marijuana nor any drug that the state can intercept on its route will pass through here,” said Cabello, in a toned-down, businesslike manner that contrasted with his past performances, usually on his TV show. “We are militants for peace and sovereignty.”
Cabello, like Maduro, has been indicted in the U.S. on drug charges. And Washington has offered a $25 million reward for Cabello’s capture. He denies wrongdoing.
Carlos Correa, president of Venezuela’s free-speech advocacy group Public Space, said Cabello’s message was likely directed at the U.S., which had partially justified its intervention in Venezuela over the role of top officials in the drug trade.
“It’s a message saying, we’re doing something, particularly for the United States,” said Correa, who was jailed by the regime last year.
The shift in messaging tracks with the new realities the regime faces, he said. “They are starting to talk about dialogue, they are starting to talk about reconciliation,” he said. “They weren’t thinking about those issues six months ago.”
Under Maduro, Venezuela’s regime had at times engaged in talks with its political adversaries, which opposition figures and former U.S. diplomats said formed a strategy to buy time to maintain power.
In the aftermath of Maduro’s capture, Rodríguez enacted a state of emergency to go after people who supported the U.S. operation. The regime deployed pro-regime paramilitaries at checkpoints, where they reviewed people’s cellphones for messages supporting Maduro’s capture.
In Caracas, local human-rights organizations said Wednesday that just 100 political prisoners have been freed over the past week, far less than the figure provided by Rodríguez. Hundreds of other political detainees are still locked up.
And Venezuelans are still getting a steady dose of state propaganda in a country where an enormous state apparatus continues to shape people’s views after private media companies were taken over or banned.
State TV has continued to broadcast images showing the remains of telecommunications infrastructure and medicine repositories that it says the U.S. bombed on Jan. 3. It has run stories accusing Trump of inciting a coup in Iran. One piece played up Cuba saying the U.S. was undermining international stability. Venezuela is an ally of Tehran and Havana.
On Wednesday, the state-run Telesur TV network published a poll that said 91% of Venezuelans backed Rodríguez as the interim president.
Cabello, meanwhile, said in a TV speech earlier this week that he backed resuming diplomatic ties with the U.S. in order to provide protection to Maduro.
As he spoke, he wore a hat with a message for Venezuelans: “To doubt, is to betray.”
Write to Ryan Dubé at ryan.dube@wsj.com
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