President Donald Trump held an informal meeting with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez on Tuesday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The encounter marked the first direct talks between a U.S. president and a Venezuelan head of state since Rodríguez assumed office following the January arrest of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces.
The meeting, described by the White House as a ‘pull-aside’ rather than a formal bilateral session, took place at a reception hosted by Trump at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. Rodríguez was accompanied by a delegation that included U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. According to Rodríguez’s statement on Telegram, the discussions focused on strengthening bilateral relations and advancing cooperation in energy, mining, and security.
Rodríguez thanked the U.S. for its support after Venezuela’s June 24 earthquake and for facilitating Venezuela’s reintegration into multilateral forums. She emphasized the need for diplomacy to serve Venezuela’s national interest and deliver benefits to its people. Trump, in his Monday address to the UN, highlighted a new oil agreement between the two countries, calling it ‘the biggest oil deal in world history.’ Under the deal, a U.S.-led company would gain 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields, controlling more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves—over a fifth of the country’s total.
Rodríguez is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Her presence in New York follows her arrival on Monday for her first U.S. visit since taking office. The meeting comes amid ongoing political shifts in Venezuela, where Maduro remains in custody in New York, awaiting trial on drug trafficking and terrorism charges scheduled for June 2027.
Opposition and Protests
Outside the UN, a group of Venezuelans, Venezuelan-Americans, and anti-socialist activists gathered in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to protest Rodríguez’s attendance. Protesters waved Venezuelan flags and held signs criticizing the Maduro regime, asserting that Rodríguez and her government do not represent the Venezuelan people. Some expressed concerns about the oil agreement, suggesting the regime could renege on its commitments to the U.S.
Opposition Leader’s Return Attempts
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has been in exile since late 2024, made multiple attempts to return to Venezuela on Tuesday but was unsuccessful. Her team confirmed she attempted at least three separate entries by sea and air, adding to seven failed attempts since she left the country nine months ago. U.S. officials had privately urged her to postpone her return following June’s earthquakes, according to people familiar with the matter. Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has vowed to return to Venezuela despite repeated barriers to entry.
Background and Context
Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 but had the measures lifted in April 2025. She was sworn in as interim president by Venezuela’s National Assembly days after Maduro’s arrest, with U.S. backing. The Trump administration has framed the new agreement as a strategic partnership, while critics argue it risks legitimizing a government with a contested mandate.
The meeting between Trump and Rodríguez represents a significant shift in U.S.-Venezuela relations, following decades of strained ties under Maduro’s socialist government.