President Trump declared U.S. troops won’t occupy Venezuela unless Vice President Delcy Rodriguez fails to cooperate — revealing a “second wave” military contingency. The announcement follows the dramatic capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, sparking constitutional debates and uncertainty over Venezuela’s democratic transition.
WASHINGTON — President Trump told The Post in an exclusive interview that U.S. troops won’t be stationed in Venezuela unless Vice President Delcy Rodriguez “does what we want,” revealing a contingency plan for a larger military operation. The declaration came moments after a press conference where Trump suggested the U.S. would temporarily “run the country” ahead of a democratic transition — a move that ignited debate over constitutional authority and the future of Venezuela.
![President Trump said of stationing US troops in Venezuela, “if Vice President [Delcy Rodriguez] does what we want, we won’t have to do that.” REUTERS](https://media.zenfs.com/en/aol_ny_post_us_news_articles_123/3952a5782d5f1d725132c2acecc52305)
“We’re prepared,” Trump added. “You know, we have a second wave that’s much bigger than the first wave.”
Trump said he has spoken to Rodriguez “numerous times,” and she “understands.”
Rodriguez, sworn in as Venezuela’s interim leader, called for “the immediate liberation” of Maduro and his wife Celia Flores, saying “President Nicolas Maduro” is the “only president of Venezuela.”
She left the door open to working with the White House, while seeking to calm internal divisions.
“Here, we have a government with clarity, and I repeat and repeat again … we are willing to have respectful relations,” she said, referring to the Trump administration. “It is the only thing we will accept for a type of relationship after having attacked [Venezuela].”
The Trump-ordered surprise mission in Venezuela was conducted around 2 a.m. local time, featuring more than 150 military aircraft — knocking out the power in Caracas before special operators captured Maduro and his wife, both of whom will face federal drug-smuggling charges.
No American troops died and no U.S. equipment was lost, despite one aircraft being damaged, officials said.
Trump’s overnight mission caught the world by surprise and follows a U.S. bombing campaign that began Sept. 2, targeting ships off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia that allegedly were transporting cocaine.
‘Cuba is going to fall of its own volition’
Trump told The Post he is not considering additional military action against Cuba, Venezuela’s longtime ally, which was heavily dependent on Caracas for economic support and fuel.
“No, Cuba is going to fall of its own volition. Cuba is doing very poorly,” Trump said.
Moments earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at Trump’s press conference in Palm Beach, Fla., that “if I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I’d be concerned at least a little bit” — adding uncertainty about the future of U.S. policy toward the communist island.
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
- Trump says Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, wife ‘captured’ after large-scale strikes
- Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, wife indicted in US after capture, Trump’s $50M bounty
- Video shows Venezuela’s night sky engulfed in flames after US strikes, capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro
- Trump warned Maduro not to ‘f–k around with the US’ months before dictator’s capture
- Venezuelan opposition leader, 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado poised to take the place of Nicolas Maduro
“Cuba was always very reliant on Venezuela. That’s where they got their money, and they protected Venezuela, but that didn’t work out too well in this case,” Trump told The Post.
“You know, many Cubans lost their lives last night. Did you know that? Many Cubans lost their lives. They were protecting Maduro. That was not a good move.”
Trump said he did not know the precise death toll among Cuban and Venezuelan forces.
Machado ‘doesn’t have the support or the respect’
Trump’s proposed democratic transition in Venezuela remains murky — in part because he declared at the post-raid press conference that leading opposition figure Maria Corina Machado is ill-suited to replace Maduro, who ruled since 2013.
“It would be very tough for her to be the leader. She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect,” he told reporters at his Palm Beach residence.
Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize in October. In a conciliatory gesture, she dedicated the award to Trump, who has been campaigning to secure the honor for himself.
Maduro’s ouster introduces significant uncertainty in Venezuela, which has seen an exodus of citizens and economic turmoil.
Maduro, a former bus driver and trade union leader, held power since revolutionary Hugo Chavez’s death from cancer. Chavez kicked off the nation’s left-wing “Bolivarian Revolution” after winning the 1998 presidential election.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) doubted the ability of Maduro’s VP to lead.
“She’s been a total tool of Maduro in the past, and there are great questions about her reliability in any way,” Schumer said of Rodriguez.
Trump’s critics in Congress reacted with outrage over his raid to capture Maduro — expressing alarm at the fact that he didn’t notify them ahead of time, after his prior surprise bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites in June.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 specifies that presidents must notify lawmakers of military actions within 48 hours and gain authorization for engagements exceeding 60 days.
Schumer demanded a congressional briefing. “Launching military action without congressional authorization, without a credible plan for what comes next, is reckless,” Schumer said.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a longtime advocate for congressional approval of foreign wars, tweeted Saturday that he spoke with Rubio and is comfortable with Trump’s actions.
“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Lee pronounced.
Many Democrats blasted Trump, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accusing him of “flagrant disregard for the Article One war powers of Congress which is essential to our constitutional system of checks and balances.”
Courts in the past have refrained from intervening when members of Congress accused presidents of abusing their role as commander in chief — holding it a political question that can be resolved by legislative withholding of funds or other action.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a frequent Trump critic, said Saturday that “my main concern now is that Russia will use this to justify their illegal and barbaric military actions against Ukraine, or China to justify an invasion of Taiwan… dictators will try to exploit this to rationalize their selfish objectives.”
With Post Wires.
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