The Venezuelan Delcy Rodríguez has carried out one of the most incredible and rapid metamorphoses in the recent history of international relations. She does not have the talent and charisma of Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, the chameleonic French diplomat capable of serving kings, revolutionaries and the Restoration, but she does have her ability for survival and submission, going in a matter of months from being one of the central figures of Chavismo (sanctioned by Washington) to becoming a privileged interlocutor of the Government of Donald Trump and legitimized, but not legitimate, president of her country.
Her evolution has led her to go from describing US sanctions as "state terrorism" and denouncing "imperialism" before the United Nations to remaining impassive listening to the American president, in that same room, call his former boss a "dictator and criminal" and say that "the loot belongs to the victors", in reference to his country's oil. And to pose smiling and showing the two fingers of victory in a photo with her somewhat mortal enemy, while almost simultaneously the leader of the opposition, María Corina Machado, tried repeatedly, but in vain, to return to Venezuela, trapped in Panama between administrative problems, expired documentation and the maneuvers of Washington.
For her, what happened this Tuesday in New York is the best news possible. At the same time, the administration has extended a hand to his regime and slammed the door again on his main rival. Rodríguez speaks of "support for the process of reintegration of our country into multilateral spaces" and he is absolutely right. Today has been the most important step on that path, but it will surely not be the last.
A key figure along with her brother in the Nicolás Maduro years, the United States included Delcy Rodríguez in September 2018, during Trump's first term, on its list of those sanctioned for human rights violations. However, after the capture of Maduro in January 2026 and the establishment of an 'interim' government, Washington progressively moved from the policy of maximum pressure to a cooperative relationship with Caracas. There is no longer talk of transition, elections or democracy nor is there a route for Machado.
On April 1, the Treasury Department formally removed Rodríguez from the sanctions list. In July, the Administration asked the Justice Department to recognize her immunity from a civil lawsuit in Florida, arguing that she was now the head of state of Venezuela. And at the end of summer the rapprochement has reached an additional dimension, after Washington and Caracas reached an incredible agreement on oil, debt and reconstruction of the Venezuelan industry.
For its part, the Spanish Government, which until recently called the president "temporary president", and which welcomed Edumundo González and other top-level political exiles, has invited her to the Ibero-American Summit being held in Madrid at the beginning of November, despite the community sanctions that in theory prevent her from setting foot on European soil and that were key in the controversial and never completely clarified stop at Bajaras airport in 2020, with meetings with Minister José Luis Ábalos and his collaborators.
The final step in its reconversion, and its diplomatic whitewashing, came this Tuesday in New York, during the big week of the UN General Assembly. In the morning, Rodríguez managed to make headlines with a striking and at times uncomfortable image, after getting up from his seat during the plenary session, approaching Spanish President Pedro Sánchez, and getting a kiss and a greeting.
But his big success came in the afternoon, when Trump agreed to a face-to-face meeting. A pull-aside, in local slang. A quick aside during a reception at a hotel in the city before Trump returned to Washington. The two politicians were at the meeting, accompanied by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent. Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles; and the White House's top domestic affairs adviser, Stephen Miller. The US administration did not give any details to the pool of journalists nor did the president answer questions later on the plane back to Washington.
Rodríguez, however, went to social media a few hours later to celebrate the unofficial and public recognition. "We held a historic meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, with whom we spoke about strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries and advancing a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, security and other issues of common interest. We express our gratitude to President Trump and his Government for the decisive support provided during the emergency caused by the earthquakes of last June 24, as well as for their support for the process of reintegration of our country into multilateral spaces. Venezuela and the States United, they share a historical relationship that, in this new stage, we are called to channel through dialogue. We will continue to promote diplomacy at the service of the national interest, aimed at achieving concrete results and collective benefits for the Venezuelan people," he published on his X network account.
Last night's event, with strong symbolism and which represents a devastating blow to the opposition led by María Corina Machado, the leader who presented her Nobel Prize medal to Trump, had been in the works for months. Already in January, days after the military operation that resulted in the capture of Maduro, White House officials assured that a visit was possible. Weeks later, she herself said that "at some point" she would pass through the United States. And when his presence was confirmed at the UN General Assembly, only the moment, the format and the type of coverage there would be were pending.
It was at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. The decision sends many messages. Although it has been somewhat minor from the protocol point of view, with a small room with two chairs and the flags of both countries, it is something enormous from the diplomatic side. During his first year, Trump received every relevant international leader at the White House, but in recent months he has been changing the system, and when they were sensitive appointments, such as the Syrian or Brazilian president, he has chosen to do so in private, without cameras or press conferences. This time it was similar, but posing more than satisfied with the woman he has defended tooth and nail for her dedication and obedience since January.
In 2026, Delcy has turned from denouncing Trump as a demon to talking about "cooperation and conciliation", "peace and dialogue", and his "friend and partner". His Government has converted a relationship that began with a military operation and is based on the permanent threat, into something commercial and agile, culminating in negotiations on oil and US investment. Rodríguez continues to insist that he is not giving up Venezuelan sovereignty but in practice, as the American press has discovered, he is in permanent contact with Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, and does not make any important decisions without permission or approval.
