Trump’s remarks, which also touched on making Canada a state earlier this year, were the most direct challenge to Venezuelan sovereignty since a U.S. military operation captured then-President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas in January. Rodríguez, who has assumed leadership of the Chavismo movement and the interim government, responded on Monday without the fiery denunciations that previously accompanied such statements. “We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” she told reporters. “Venezuela is not a colony, but a free country.”
The restraint was a marked departure from the anti-American demonstrations that erupted in the capital after Maduro’s capture, when government supporters burned U.S. flags and chanted “Gringo go home.” Since then, the Trump administration has stunned observers by working not with Venezuela’s political opposition but with Rodríguez herself, lifting U.S. sanctions on her personally, easing broader economic penalties, and recognizing her as the country’s “sole” head of state. She has opened the oil sector to private capital, replaced senior officials including Maduro’s defense minister and attorney general, and pitched the crisis-wrecked country to international investors.
“This is probably the most public and sharp manifestation of the government’s transactional, self-survival approach above everything else right now, above even that sort of basic tenet of Chavismo,” said Sabatini. “It’s better that they hold their tongue, not offend the U.S. right now. Why overreact to a ridiculous claim by Donald Trump?”
On the streets of Caracas, some residents viewed the muted response as an admission of weakness, though many accepted the strategic logic. “She knows that it’s wise not to engage in direct confrontation because she knows she’s bound to lose,” said college student Adonai Osoria. “Now, are there some who disagree, who don’t like it? Well, yes, of course. But I consider her reaction right now to be a common, understandable reaction.”
Among the armed colectivos that have long anchored pro-government rallies, leader Jorge Navas described Trump’s comments as “irresponsible acts of provocation” and praised Rodríguez for her measured reply. “We are bending, strategically, but we will not break,” Navas said. “We continue to resist, that is, realistically, given the country’s economic situation.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York after the January operation to face drug trafficking charges; both have pleaded not guilty and remain jailed at a Brooklyn detention center. The U.S. stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader in 2019, after an election widely condemned as a sham.