U.S. threatens Venezuela's acting president as Maduro awaits Monday hearing
2026-01-05 11:17:14 source：CGTN
January 5, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Sunday that Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, could "pay a very big price" if she continued to refuse cooperation with the United States.
"If she doesn't do what's right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro," Trump said in a phone interview with The Atlantic. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was seized by U.S. forces on Saturday and is now in custody in New York to stand trial on alleged drug charges on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in another media interview on Sunday morning that Trump will keep all options open on how to "run" Venezuela, assess whether the country's interim leadership can "make the right decisions," and will not rule out a U.S. military presence in the country in the future.
Read more: