A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Described by U.S. officials, the concept for Venezuela is an old-style colonial model. The United States does not propose to install a new government after seizing Nicolás Maduro and his wife.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
In fact, the Trump administration has brushed aside the opposition candidate that the U.S. says won the 2024 election. María Corina Machado, the recipient of the Nobel Prize, opposition leader, also left out. Instead, the U.S. proposes to give orders to the current socialist government on whatever issues the U.S. cares about. In a moment, we'll hear from a former U.S. diplomat who served in Caracas, and we start with the facts.
MARTÍNEZ: NPR's Carrie Kahn is in Colombia. So, Carrie, Delcy Rodríguez, Nicolás Maduro's vice president - she's now the interim president - is she going to take orders from the U.S.?
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: She at least seems to have changed her tone after President Trump threatened her with a worse fate than Maduro. In her statement out late yesterday, Rodríguez addressed President Trump directly. She said, our people, our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war, and she's willing to cooperate. That's just quite a swift turnaround from her very defiant show, Saturday, calling the U.S. action a barbarity and demanding Maduro's return. It's also clear that, as you said, she is now called Venezuela's leader. She was sworn into office Saturday, or as the state media in Venezuela is calling it, she was ordered to assume the presidency, and that was by the regime's loyalist Supreme Court.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, Carrie, you've talked with María Corina Machado, the opposition leader, who used to have the United States' support. Is the U.S. accepting the socialist government in Venezuela as legitimate now?
KAHN: Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked that on his media appearances yesterday. He just brushed off legitimacy questions and said, for now, the U.S. just has to work with those still in Venezuela since leading opponents aren't in the country. And Rubio said he's sure that those that are still there will follow U.S. demands after watching the military remove Maduro. Here's Rubio on NBC's "Meet The Press."
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")
MARCO RUBIO: It had to be done, and it's been done. And I assure you, the people left behind in Venezuela now that are in charge of the police and everything else, I assure you, they're going to probably be a lot more compliant than Maduro was as a result of this.
KAHN: And, A, we also heard some more details about Saturday's U.S. invasion that were interesting. The Cuban government announced that 32 of its citizens, including military personnel, were killed during the U.S. operation, and they were actively engaging U.S. forces. It's been long believed that Cuba, a close and vital ally, was sending soldiers and intelligence agents and even providing security for Maduro. So that was stunning yesterday.
MARTÍNEZ: Carrie, tell us a little bit more about Delcy Rodríguez.
KAHN: Sure. She's been the vice president for more than seven years. She's credited with stabilizing the economy after just turmoil and years of hyperinflation. She has two main roles, and one has been overseeing the oil industry. She also oversees the regime's greatly feared intelligence service, so she has good relations with the military. Her brother is the head of the National Assembly, so she's definitely an insider with this long, hard-line resume. It's unclear how those relationships are going to hold up when she's seen to be helping the U.S. government.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, it's only been a few days, but how are Venezuelans dealing with all this?
KAHN: There are still long lines being formed in some stores - stocking up. The government held a rally in support of Maduro yesterday. It did fill a few blocks. Here's 64-year-old Rodolfo Ramirez (ph). He's a high school teacher. He said he came out to tell Trump Venezuelans will defend their country.
RODOLFO RAMIREZ: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "Trump, don't come here and rob us. Get your head out of the clouds," he said. And he warned that if Trump comes for Venezuela's oil, he'll have to kill us all, he said. He's not getting a single drop.
And in another development last night, the man widely believed to have won the last presidential election in 2024, Edmundo González, he put out a video calling himself the president and demanding the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.
MARTÍNEZ: That's NPR's Carrie Kahn in Colombia. Carrie, thanks.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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