Oil, Commerce, and Security: Trump Hails Talks With Venezuela’s Interim President as ‘Excellent’

Drawing from official statements and my experience covering US–Latin America relations, US President Donald Trump has described his latest engagement with Venezuela’s interim leadership as a major step toward renewed cooperation. After months of escalating tension, Trump said discussions with Caracas on oil, commerce, and security marked “tremendous progress,” raising the possibility of a broader diplomatic reset between the two countries.

After a prolonged period of strain, President Trump pointed to a direct conversation with Venezuela’s interim president as a breakthrough, highlighting dialogue on energy, trade, and national security as key pillars of engagement.

President Trump said he held a “nice and productive” phone conversation on Wednesday with Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, describing the exchange as a meaningful step toward stabilizing the crisis-hit nation. His remarks signaled a notable shift in tone following weeks of confrontation between Washington and Caracas.

Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote, “I had a very good call with the Interim President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, this morning.” He added that the United States was making “tremendous progress” in helping Venezuela stabilize and recover, underscoring his administration’s belief that engagement could yield tangible results.

According to Trump, the conversation covered a wide range of strategic and economic issues, including national security, trade, minerals, and energy cooperation. He expressed confidence that Venezuela could soon become “great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before,” and suggested that cooperation between Washington and Caracas would be “spectacular for all.”

Rodríguez assumed the role of interim president earlier this month after long-time leader Nicolás Maduro was apprehended by US agents and transferred to the United States to face drug-related charges. That move marked a dramatic escalation in Washington’s long-running standoff with the Venezuelan government and sent shockwaves across the region.

Against that backdrop, Trump’s phone call represents a sharp diplomatic turn. Despite the administration’s continued interest in Venezuela’s vast but largely untapped energy reserves, recent weeks had been marked by hostility, including US military operations targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels and tougher Sanctions aimed at Venezuela’s oil sector.

For her part, Rodríguez described the conversation with the US president as “productive and courteous,” emphasizing that it was conducted in a spirit of “mutual respect.” Her comments suggested a willingness on Caracas’ part to engage diplomatically, even as tensions remain high.

The conciliatory tone of the call was particularly striking given Rodríguez’s recent accusations that Washington had effectively “kidnapped” Maduro and her public demand for his return. Those remarks had underscored the depth of mistrust between the two governments just days earlier.

Trump also struck a personal note in his comments, calling Rodríguez a “terrific person” and revealing that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also been in contact with her. The outreach at multiple levels of the US administration points to a coordinated effort to explore avenues for dialogue.

While it remains unclear whether the conversation will translate into concrete policy changes, the exchange has clearly altered the diplomatic atmosphere. For now, Trump’s upbeat assessment suggests that oil, commerce, and security could become the foundation for a tentative re-engagement between the United States and Venezuela after years of deep mistrust.