A report published by the American newspaper The New York Times maintains that Rubio is today the figure with the greatest power over Venezuelaand exercises absolute control over Rodriguez. The media even claims that The Secretary of State has become the “de facto viceroy” of the Caribbean country.
According to the report, the president donald trump He delegated practically all management of the country to Rubio, to the point of joking about sending him to govern Caracas. In practice, the NYT maintains that it does not need to move to the Venezuelan capital because it already directs that nation’s affairs from Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US President Donald Trump during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, May 27, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP).
/ KENT NISHIMURA
The newspaper states that Rubio frequently chats on WhatsApp with Delcy Rodríguezexchanging messages in Spanish, photographs, congratulations and instructions on government matters.
According to sources cited by the NYT, Rodríguez consults Rubio on ministerial appointments, important economic decisions, official publications and diplomatic messages, international travel, responses to political crises.
The report also ensures that most of the income from Venezuelan oil exports passes first through the United States Treasury, which then releases resources gradually. Rubio would decide the conditions for using that money, which would give him enormous pressure on Caracas.
Rubio would supervise which companies can operate in Venezuelawhat licenses they receive and what foreign companies can invest, especially favoring the entry of American companies into the oil sector, indicates the NYT.
The Secretary of State influences Venezuelan foreign policy. One of the most striking episodes described by the NYT indicates that, after a Venezuelan condemnation of the US attack against IranWashington asked to remove the message and it was deleted a few hours later. The newspaper interprets this fact as evidence that Caracas no longer fully defines its foreign policy.
The president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, speaks during a press conference after the double earthquake that devastated the country. (EFE/ Iván Cárdenas).
The report states that the government of Rodríguez has collaborated with Washington in extraditions such as in the case of Alex Saaband in operations against organized crime, including an action against the leader of the Tren de Aragua, alias Niño Guerrero, which was based on information provided by Venezuelan authorities.
It was the first military collaboration between both countries in decades. Venezuela recovered the body of the leader of the Aragua Train and handed it over to the United States, reveals the NYT.
El Niño Guerrero, leader of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua, died in a joint operation between the United States and Venezuela in the state of Bolívar. (AI generated composition, Chatgpt).
After the earthquakes occurred in VenezuelaRubio seeks to strengthen Rodrúguez’s interim government by sending 900 soldiers, and has also committed almost $400 million in aid.
According to the NYT, The earthquakes have complicated Rubio’s objectiveswho had proposed a three-stage strategy to Venezuela: recover the economy, stabilize the country; and finally summon elections. A timetable for that outcome has not been made public.
Finally, the report maintains that Rubio prefers Delcy Rodríguez as a figure of transition before the popular opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Indicates that Rubio stopped supporting Machado because he considers that his return to Venezuela It could cause instability, since it has staunch enemies among those responsible for security and the military.
Furthermore, Washington does not agree with Machado’s attempts to return to her country after the earthquakes.
“Venezuela lost a war with the United States without the need for an occupation”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a press conference at the Royal Hotel during the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 17, 2026. (EFE/EPA/YOAN VALAT)
/ YOAN VALAT
For the Venezuelan political scientist José Vicente Carrasquerothe NYT report on the role of Marco Rubio in Venezuela It is not an exaggeration, but rather the description of a political reality that, it states, began after the capture of Ripe.
“On January 3, Venezuela lost a war with the United States and, without needing to occupy it, Washington took control of the country“, says the analyst to El Comercio. He adds that President Trump himself made this strategy clear when he stated that same day that The United States “was going to run the country.”
Carrasquero affirms that since then the most important decisions are no longer made exclusively in Caracas.
“Major decisions about how oil money is handled and many political decisions are made in the State Department.“, he remarks.
He mentions as an example the meeting between the president of the National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez and the opposition leader Dinorah Figueraas well as the reforms to the oil and mining sector, the reorganization of gold exploitation in the state of Bolívar and the opening to US energy companies.
“All of this has been managed with the consent and surveillance of the State Department.“he states.
Is there sovereignty left in Venezuela?
The captured president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrive at the Wall Street heliport during their transfer to the federal court in New York. (EFE/EPA/Stringer).
/ Stringer
Asked about the implications for the sovereignty Venezuelan, Carrasquero responds that this discussion, in reality, began much earlier.
Indicates that the breakup occurred on July 28, 2024when the result of the presidential elections was unknown to favor Ripe.
“Since July 28, 2024 you cannot talk about sovereignty in Venezuela“, emphasizes.
The political scientist argues that, by ignoring the popular will, the basic principle of sovereignty was also broken.
“What does it mean to be sovereign? Let the people vote and let the people’s decision be obeyed. The people voted, they did not obey and from that moment on there is no popular sovereignty.“ he insists.
Under this logic, Carrasquero considers that full administrative sovereignty would not exist today either.
“Administrative sovereignty, the New York Times is saying there is none. Military sovereignty, the actions of the North American army within Venezuela demonstrate that there is no“, precise.
He even remembers an episode in which the Venezuelan foreign minister Yvan Gil He deleted a publication about US operations after, he claims, a demand from Washington.
“They asked him to delete the statement. This shows who really makes certain decisions.“, he states.
What is Delcy Rodríguez betting on?
The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, greets the arrival of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro (out of shot), to a bilateral meeting at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on April 24, 2026. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP).
/ FEDERICO PARRA
Regarding the reasons that would explain the announcement of Delcy Rodriguez facing the United States, Carrasquero considers that His priority is to remain in power to avoid possible judicial processes once the transition is completed.
She maintains that leaving the government would expose her to investigations for alleged human rights violations, corruption and links to irregular groups.
“She’s going to listen to Trump as long as Trump keeps her there. That’s the condition: I keep you in power if you listen to me.“.
Therefore, Carrasquero interprets Trump’s public praise for Rodríguez as part of that relationship.
“Trump says he works very well with Delcy because she doesn’t tell him off. He tells her ‘do’ and she goes and does“, manifests.
An open-ended transition
Carrasquero considers that Rodríguez and his entourage would also be trying to negotiate their political and personal future once the process of transition.
However, he warns that this does not guarantee that they will finally obtain some type of protection.
“She is managing her future. Whether it is successful is another thing.“.
He believes that a possible negotiated exit could imply that he leaves Venezuela to settle in a third country, which would be Türkiyealthough he insists that the outcome will depend on how the transition evolves and the decisions Washington makes.
