Trump warns Rodríguez: Do the right thing or pay the price

WISE NEWS PRESS / WEST PALM BEACH, USA — JANUARY 5, 2026

US President Donald Trump has issued a severe warning to Delcy Rodríguez, the interim leader appointed following the military ousting of Nicolás Maduro, stating she will face dire consequences if she fails to comply with US expectations.

In an interview published by Michael Shearer, Trump referenced a phone call with Rodríguez, declaring that she would pay a "very big price, perhaps even more than Maduro" if she does not "do the right thing." The President made these remarks upon arriving at his golf club in West Palm Beach, signaling that the US is unwilling to tolerate Rodríguez’s opposition to the military intervention that led to the capture of Maduro, who is currently detained in New York.

"Regime Change Cannot Be Worse Than the Current State"

Shifting away from his previous reservations regarding nation-building, Trump evaluated the future of Venezuela by stating that any reconstruction or regime change would be an improvement. "It cannot be worse than what it is now," Trump remarked, justifying the strategic necessity of the intervention. He further suggested that Venezuela may not be the last country to face such US action.

Rodríguez quickly rejected Trump’s stance, asserting that Venezuela would defend its natural resources and maintain the policies of the Maduro administration. "We will never be a colony again," she stated, emphasizing the country's determination for independence through the National Defense Council.

Strategic Interests: Greenland and the Monroe Doctrine

During the interview, Trump also reiterated his interest in Greenland, claiming the US "absolutely needs" the island for defense purposes. He described Greenland as being surrounded by Russian and Chinese vessels and emphasized that the interest is strategic rather than merely geographical.

Addressing criticisms of past nation-building policies in Iraq and Afghanistan, Trump distanced himself from the Iraq War, calling it a "Middle East disaster" initiated by the Bush administration. He defined his current approach as a modern application of the "Monroe Doctrine," asserting that maintaining US influence over the Western Hemisphere is a matter of specific national strategy.

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