Florida Republican Rep. María Elvira Salazar defended President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, in New York, describing Rodríguez as a “necessary evil” for now as part of efforts to stabilize the country. Salazar made the comments Sunday during an interview with Margaret Brennan on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
Responding to a question about Trump meeting with Rodríguez, whom Salazar had previously criticized for her role in the government of Nicolás Maduro, the congresswoman said the encounter should be viewed within what she described as a broader U.S. strategy for Venezuela. She said the approach involves forcing former actors in power to create conditions for other political actors to enter the process.
Salazar referred to a sequence of “recovery and then transition” that she attributed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She said she expects the stabilization phase to eventually lead to new elections with international observers, presenting that as a subsequent step toward a political transition in Venezuela.
The comments came ahead of a planned meeting between Trump and Rodríguez in New York during the United Nations General Assembly. According to the Associated Press, the meeting is expected to be an informal “pull-aside” rather than a formal bilateral meeting.
Salazar’s remarks also marked a notable change in tone from her previous criticism of Rodríguez. During the CBS interview, Brennan reminded Salazar that she had previously described Rodríguez as a figure involved in the Venezuelan security apparatus and blamed her for contributing to the country’s deterioration. Salazar nevertheless defended the planned meeting as part of the broader strategy she described.
