As the dust settles on the dramatic ousting of Nicolás Maduro, a high–stakes battle for the soul of Venezuela has emerged between two formidable women –– one a Nobel Peace Prize–winning ‘Iron Lady’ and the other a ‘cagey’ regime stalwart nicknamed ‘The Tiger.’
In one corner stands Maria Corina Machado, 58, the elite–born industrial engineer and mother of three who has spent decades as the courageous face of the opposition, only to find herself sidelined by Donald Trump.
In the other is the designer–fashion–loving Delcy Rodriguez, 56, the daughter of a Marxist martyr who rose through the ranks as what one diplomat dubs ‘Maduro’s ultimate schemer and manipulator.’
While Machado is hailed by supporters as a ‘Paladin of righteousness’ seeking to restore democracy, Rodriguez, branded by her rival as an ‘architect of torture,’ has pulled off the ultimate political pivot, winning over the White House to be sworn in as interim president while her former boss languishes in a New York jail.
The White House confirms that Rodriguez is now expected to travel to Washington ‘soon.’ The visit, a former state department official explains, is designed to provide a seal of approval –– a formal ‘blessing’ of her interim presidency that stands in stark contrast to the cold shoulder given to Machado.
On Thursday, President Trump said he spoke with Rodriguez by phone, announcing that Americans will be able to visit Venezuela and that the airspace will be open to US planes as well. It marked the latest indication or Rodriguez’s staying power with the Trump White House.
The speed of Rodríguez’s US-friendly transformation has left seasoned diplomats stunned.
According to one source familiar with the transition, the ‘Tiger’ knew exactly when to stop growling.
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on January 14, that her country was looking to ‘a new political era’ after the January 3 ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets supporters outside the White House following a meeting with President Donald Trump
‘After about 24 hours of consideration, when basically Trump said, ‘You’re my b**** now,’ she pivoted,’ a diplomat who spent seven years at the embassy in Caracas revealed.
‘She said, ‘Great. I want to collaborate. I want to build peace and prosperity… It’s a well–worn path for the Rodriguez’s –– whenever their backs are against the wall, they want to dialogue,’ the diplomat added.
While Rodriguez publicly claims to ‘detest the West,’ those who knew her during her years at the University of London recall a woman practicing a strange, performative radicalism.
US Diplomat Brett Bruen recalls a bizarre morning ritual in London: Rodriguez would pick up her tube of toothpaste and berate it as a ‘capitalist product’ before using it.
‘She is a tried and true socialist,’ Bruen says. ‘But as with any regime, the first priority is survival.’
When US forces launched Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3 to capture Maduro, Delcy Rodriguez was reportedly positioned safely on Margarita Island, away from the immediate chaos of the Caracas raids.
Her initial public reaction was a fiery, scripted condemnation of ‘Yankee imperialism,’ but her following actions told a different story.
Less than 24 hours later, with footage of her boss in a Brooklyn jail cell broadcasting across the globe, she sent a backchannel signal through diplomatic intermediaries to the White House, indicating she was ready to cooperate with the transition.
Since then, Rodriguez has been governing with a ruthlessly pragmatic hand. Gone is the revolutionary rhetoric; in its place is a message of ‘order and stability’ aimed at pacifying Maduro’s terrified base while quietly assuring American oil executives that the pumps will stay on.
Delcy Rodriguez and partner Yussef Abou Nassif Smaili, a businessman of Lebanese descent. He is reportedly 15-years younger than Rodriguez
Machado gestures as she leaves the U.S. Capitol following a meeting with U.S. senators
Machado waves a national flag during a protest called by the opposition on the eve of the presidential inauguration in Caracas on January 9
A source inside Venezuela tells the Daily Mail the mood among ordinary people is one of anxiety –– as they anticipate what comes next.
But behind the European flair and what one diplomat calls an ‘urbane’ persona lies a mind described by insiders as a ‘rapidly running super–computer.’
‘She’s a hardcore ideologue, but she’s calculating the entire way,’ the diplomatic source says.
‘You just get the sense she’s running through permutations. She’s a schemer, a manipulator. I wouldn’t run to the bank to cash any check she signs. She is as bad as the other guy [Maduro],’ the same diplomat very familiar with Venezuela explained.
Insiders suggest her power is bolstered by a ‘smart’ husband with deep Middle Eastern ties. Yussef Abou Nassif Smaili, a businessman of Lebanese descent, operates in the shadows of the regime’s finances –– effectively a tie between Venezuela and Iran’s proxies de–stabilizing the wider middle east.
‘He has a very tight relationship with the network of finance,’ a university contemporary familiar with Rodriguez told the Daily Mail. ‘Isla Margarita is full of these guys from Iran… if she has to move something, her husband makes the move.’
Diplomats say the contrast with Machado couldn’t be more stark.
While Machado is a ‘hero of the opposition’ who recently accepted then delivered her Nobel Peace Prize into Trump’s arms, her ‘righteousness’ appears to have still cost her the presidency.
Rodriguez attends a ceremony honoring Venezuelan and Cuban military and security personnel who died during a U.S. operation to capture Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores
Her fall from grace in Trump’s orbit was accelerated by her clashes with Ric Grenell, Trump’s envoy. Sources say Grenell, who visited Caracas for secret talks before the ouster, found Machado ‘inflexible.’
At the time, Grenell was still advocating for a ‘different relationship’ with Venezuela’s dictator.
‘Maria Machado refused to meet with him,’ a US diplomat who worked with Grenell explained. ‘We heard she did not want to deal with him, and did not like what he stood for.’
The US diplomat familiar with their botched meeting told the Daily Mail that Machado’s reluctance to deal with Grenell came partly from a mix of ‘arrogance and inflexibility.’
In the same vein –– Trump, seeking ‘peace through business’ and the swift extraction of Venezuelan oil, reportedly finds Machado ‘difficult’ and ‘too strong,’ according to our diplomatic source who served significant time at the embassy in Venezuela.
‘For Trump, dealing with Delcy is calculated,’ explains the diplomatic insider. ‘He thinks it’s easier to deal with Delcy than Machado. He doesn’t like strong women like Maria Corina. He doesn’t care about democracy or human rights, he’s trying to pursue business.’
Machado now faces a dwindling political half–life.
‘The community is solid behind her,’ Representative Carlos Giménez, a key voice on Venezuela, told the Daily Mail, ‘She has the respect of the people. If you had an election tomorrow, she’d win.’
Machado speaks with members of the press after meeting with members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee
Machado speaks to reporters alongside U.S. Reps. Mario Balart and Carlos Gimenez after a closed door meeting with GOP lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol building
Yet, others are less charitable, describing Machado as a ‘complicated’ outlier who ‘pisses people off’ if they don’t share her exact vision.
‘She was the true Paladin who is going to restore democracy, not negotiate,’ says the senior diplomat who served time in Venezuela. ‘But quite frankly, she all but endorsed military action.’
Machado is currently in Washington D.C., working the halls of Congress and the White House during her recent visit, widening the rift with the White House by publicly opposing Trump’s mass deportation plans.
In meetings on Capitol Hill, she warned reporters that the interim government under Rodriguez remains unsafe for returnees and that Maduro’s number two is still arresting those who supported the U.S. operation –– a direct contradiction of the ‘mission accomplished’ narrative coming from President Trump.
The bottom line, a diplomat familiar with both women says for Trump, it’s not personal, it’s business.
‘For Trump, dealing with Delcy is calculated. He thinks it is easier to deal with Delcy than it is with Machado. Kind of on a personality basis. He also doesn’t like strong women like Machado. More importantly, though, I think what he’s decided is he doesn’t want to focus on democracy and human rights. He’s trying to basically pursue peace through business.’
