US President Donald Trump has warned Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez that she could “pay a very big price” if she does not act in line with what Washington believes is right for the country.
| Photo Credit:
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN
US President Donald Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday in a telephone interview that Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s vice president, could “pay a very big price” if she doesn’t do what he thinks is right for the South American country.
That contrasted with the Republican president’s comments about Rodríguez on Saturday when he said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with her and that she was willing to do what the US thinks is needed to improve the standard of living in Venezuela.
But Rodríguez has criticised Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s removal from the country and has demanded that the US return him.
Trump told the magazine that “if she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.” The president told the New York Post in an interview Saturday that the US wouldn’t need to station troops in Venezuela if she “does what we want.”
Published on January 5, 2026
