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Trump holds talks with Rodríguez on oil and security as Venezuela seeks new ties
September 23, 2026
Trump met Delcy Rodríguez in New York on Tuesday, their first meeting since US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in a raid on Caracas.
Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice-president to Nicolás Maduro, was sworn in as Venezuela's interim president by its National Assembly days after US forces seized Maduro in a raid on Caracas.
Key facts
- CNN reports that Rodríguez built her New York schedule to leave room, before her speech, for efforts to end Venezuela's isolation dating to 2018, the year Maduro gave the last address there by a Venezuelan head of state.
- Delcy Rodríguez speaks to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, about 20 minutes by taxi from the jail where Nicolás Maduro, whom she replaced, is held awaiting trial.
- Venezuela has set no date for its next presidential vote, although Donald Trump leaves office in January 2029.
- US forces raided Caracas and captured Nicolás Maduro, and Rodríguez took his place soon afterward.
- Machado tried three times to go back to Venezuela during Rodríguez's absence and was turned away each time, her spokesman said.
Trump and Delcy Rodríguez met on Tuesday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Reuters says in its headline that this was their first meeting since Maduro's capture. CNN carries Rodríguez's own post on X, in which she said the two leaders "discussed strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries," with energy, mining and security named as areas for cooperation. The BBC and The Economist agree on the meeting and its setting.
The BBC puts the meeting against the oil deal. It reports that her government signed an agreement giving the US control of more than 65 billion barrels, and that a US-led company holds 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields. The BBC adds that Rodríguez served as Maduro's vice-president, that the US sanctioned her in 2018, and that those measures were lifted in April. CNN leans toward the question of legitimacy: it notes she was not elected, that no date is set for Venezuela's next presidential election, and that Brazil's Lula told CNN he would call elections in her place. The Economist, in its headline, frames the pair's ties as unusually warm.
The meeting, its New York setting and Rodríguez's account of the agenda are corroborated. Her address to the UN on Wednesday and any election timetable were still ahead at the time of draft.
Still developing
The date for Venezuela's next presidential election had not firmed up as of the draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- BBC — Trump meets US-backed Venezuelan president for first time since Maduro seized
- cnn.com — Venezuela’s unelected leader Delcy Rodríguez seeks lost legitimacy. Will she get it?
- The Economist — The love-in between Donald Trump and Delcy Rodríguez
Toggle read the full reports of 2 of the 5 outlets counted on this event. The other 3 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.