by Melissa O’Rourke at Daily Caller News Foundation
A classified U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that top figures within Nicolás Maduro’s regime would be best positioned to maintain short-term stability in Venezuela in the immediate aftermath of the dictator’s removal, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysis, which was briefed to President Donald Trump and shared with a small circle of senior administration officials, reportedly shaped Trump’s decision to back Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado as an interim leader, WSJ reported.
“I think it would be very tough for her to be the leader if she doesn’t have the support within, or the respect within the country,” Trump said during a Saturday press conference after U.S. forces captured Maduro to face federal narco-terrorism charges in New York. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” (RELATED: Venezuelan Oil Could Make America ‘Master Of The Hemisphere’ If Trump’s Domination Continues)
People in Doral, Florida, near Miami, hold a Venezuelan flag with a picture of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as they react to the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, January 3, 2026. (Photo by Georgio Viera / AFP via Getty Images)
Trump concluded that Venezuela’s short-term stability would depend on whether the next leader retained the loyalty of the country’s military and ruling elites, according to people familiar with the intelligence review cited by the outlet…
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