President Trump kept Venezuela under the control of Nicolás Maduro’s allies after a CIA assessment concluded they were more likely to maintain stability than the opposition, according to reports.
The analysis, presented to Trump in recent weeks and reported by The Wall Street Journal, found Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who became acting president Monday, better positioned to retain control than opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The CIA assessed Machado would struggle to consolidate authority after more than a decade of Maduro’s rule and could face resistance from pro-Maduro paramilitary groups. The assessment emerged as Venezuelan authorities ordered a nationwide search for those tied to the U.S. operation that led to Maduro’s capture Saturday, according to a decree obtained by Reuters.
Rodríguez and senior security officials signaled a willingness to work with the U.S. to maintain order while issuing internal crackdowns, a dual strategy aimed at deterring dissent at home and showing Washington they could keep the country stable.
