Delcy Rodríguez, who is acting president of Venezuela, said she has had “enough” of orders from the Trump administration. This strong statement comes at a time when people are trying to bring the country back together after the US took former leader Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez became president pro tempore with US support after Maduro’s arrest in the US in early 2026. She is now pushing back against White House demands, such as ending ties with China, Iran, Russia, and Cuba and only allowing US oil companies to work with them.
The Trump administration wants American oil companies to be the first to get deals on Venezuelan oil. Lawmakers have made it easier for foreign companies to invest in oil, and Venezuela got $300 million from a $500 million crude sale.
Trump signed orders that keep Venezuelan oil money in US accounts to help keep the country stable. He says that oil is going to US refineries and that Exxon, Chevron, and other companies plan to invest $100 billion.
After years of sanctions, government officials met with oil executives to talk about how to increase production. Trump said that Rodríguez was a “very strong” leader and that the US was in charge of Venezuelan oil production.After Maduro, Venezuela changed its oil laws to make it easier for US companies to do business there, which was one of Trump’s main requests. As Rodríguez tries to please both Maduro supporters and the US, things get more tense.
The US also wants the release of political prisoners as a sign of goodwill. These things happened after the US military did things in Caracas that changed the energy situation in the region.
