Trump is taking a ton of hits from the left over the arrest of Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro, with critics characterizing it as a regime change mission rather than a law enforcement action.
However, Trump is putting his support behind Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president, rather than behind opposition leader María Corina Machado, in a move that has surprised many.
I know that Trump's decision may not go over well with a lot of people, but I think he got this right for one specific reason.
To avoid complicating Maduro's prosecution, the Trump strategy cannot be one of regime change, even though most of us believe that to be the case.
After Trump talked about the United States "running" Venezuela now that Maduro is gone, Secretary of State Marco Rubio walked the suggestion back just a bit, claiming that the operation was all about the U.S. applying leverage, not actually running the country.
Rubio stated, “We expect that it’s going to lead to results here. We’re hope so … hopeful that it does. Positive results. For the people of Venezuela, but ultimately, most importantly, for us, in the national interests of the United States.”
When he was pressed about the claim that the United States will be running the country, he fired back, “I explained to you what our goals are and how we’re going to use the leverage to make it happen.”
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has been very complimentary to Trump in recent months, going as far as to offer him her Nobel Peace Prize.
She has been buttering Trump up in the hopes of gaining his support for her to lead Venezuela in the wake of Maduro's removal.
When asked by the media if she was ready to take over as the country’s leader, she responded, "We are ready and willing to serve our people as we have been mandated.”
She will be disappointed to learn that Trump does not agree.
Trump does not believe that Machado can lead the country, at least right now, because she lacks the backing of the military and other important officials. So, he is backing Rodriguez, likely because he has already put the fear of God into her.
The president reportedly called Rodriguez, subsequently claiming that she told him, "We’ll do whatever you need." He then added, "I think she was quite gracious.” Trump provided a bit more context in a different interview, stating, "If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro.”
It may not be the popular move, but for Trump, in light of the questions he is facing from Democrats, this was the right move, especially after the Venezuelan Supreme Court ruled that Rodriguez is the one who should be running the country.
If Trump backs Rodriguez and merely calls for a new election once things settle down, the regime change narrative goes away. Calling for a fresh election is not out of line, considering that Maduro overrode the results of the last one. So, this makes the operation all about arresting Maduro, the fugitive from justice, and not one designed to remove a dictator in favor of regime change. Looking at the big picture, this was the right thing for Trump to do.
