By José Luis Granados Ceja
MEXICO CITY, Mexico, (venezuelanalysis.com) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated White House backing for the Venezuelan opposition following a phone call with former presidential candidate Edmundo González and far-right leader María Corina Machado.
The brief statement attributed to US department of state spokesperson Tammy Bruce called Gónzalez “Venezuela’s rightful president.” It was the first policy statement vis-à-vis Venezuela from the recently inaugurated Donald Trump administration.
“Secretary Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ support for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela as well as the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners in line with the peaceful democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people,” read a communique.
González praised Rubio on social media for taking the call.
“Today, less than 24 hours after taking office, we held an important meeting with the secretary of state of the United States, Marco Rubio. This gesture demonstrates the priority that Venezuela has on his agenda and his commitment to our fight for freedom,” wrote the former presidential candidate.
González was in Washington for Trump’s inauguration as a guest of Florida senator Rick Scott, but he did not attend the event inside the Capitol Rotunda. Former self-proclaimed “interim president” Juan Guaidó was granted extensive access to White House officials and was invited to Trump’s 2020 State of the Union speech where he received special mention. Various Venezuelan opposition figures including Guaidó, Leopoldo López, Carlos Vecchio and David Smolanky were pictured together inside a restaurant in the US ahead of the inauguration.
The statement from the Trump White House calling González the “rightful president” signals continuity from the former Biden administration regarding Washington’s approach to Venezuela. The former president welcomed González to the White House before leaving office, referring to him as “president-elect.” The decision provoked the ire of Caracas.
Following a brief diplomatic détente that saw an easing of unilateral coercive measures applied against the Caribbean country, the US resumed its campaign aimed at undermining the Nicolás Maduro government.
On July 28, 2024, Venezuela’s electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner of the presidential contest, awarding him a third term in office. The US-backed opposition, led by far-right leader María Corina Machado, rejected the outcome and claimed that its candidate Edmundo González was the victor, appealing to foreign countries to support its stance.
After Maduro’s inauguration for a new six-year term on January 10, former secretary of state Antony Blinken wrote on social media that Maduro “has no right to claim the presidency.”
The White House additionally raised existing rewards for “information leading to arrests and/or convictions” of the Venezuelan president and interior minister Diosdado Cabello to US $25 million. It went on to introduce a $15 million bounty for defense minister Vladimir Padrino López.
The rewards stem from indictments by the US Justice Department during Trump’s first presidential mandate over alleged ties between Venezuelan high-ranking officials and “narcoterrorism” that formed part of the “maximum pressure” campaign waged by the US against Venezuela.
With US recognition of González’s claim to the Venezuelan presidency, the return of Trump to the Oval Office is not expected to produce a quick breakthrough in relations between the two countries. Secretary Rubio was an important actor in Latin America during his time as Florida senator, advocating for policies favourable to US foreign policy interests in the region. Rubio was understood to have been a key advisor to Trump on Latin America during his first term, a period that saw extensive US intervention in the hemisphere.
As secretary of state, Rubio is expected to give special emphasis to the region. On Wednesday, Rubio met with Paraguay’s right-wing president, Santiago Peña, who has similarly refused to recognize the Venezuelan election outcome.
The Trump administration has not commented on the far-reaching US sanctions imposed on Venezuela and they remain in place following the change in government. Following his inauguration, Trump suggested that the US would “stop buying oil” from Venezuela. Hardline foreign policy advocates have urged the administration to withdraw Chevron’s license to operate in the Caribbean nation.
However, the new administration will need to engage with the Maduro government in order to proceed with mass deportation campaign promises; with the Venezuelan population among the highest that have arrived in recent years to the US.
On Monday, White House envoy for special missions Richard Grenell said he had spoken to Venezuelan officials. Meanwhile, Venezuelan attorney general Saab offered to “resume legal cooperation” with US authorities to coordinate the deportation of Venezuelan nationals found guilty of criminal activities.
In an executive order signed on his first day in office, Trump ordered the termination of a Biden-era parole program that allowed asylum seekers from certain countries to remain legally in the US. The program, known as “humanitarian parole” benefitted migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela if they met certain conditions.
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