US President Donald Trump revealed on January 14 he held a lengthy telephone conversation with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez, lavishing praise on the Chavista administrator as a "terrific person" with whom he is working "very well,” a striking endorsement delivered one day before receiving opposition leader María Corina Machado at the White House.

"We had an excellent conversation today, and she's a fantastic person. In fact, she's someone we've worked very well with," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the call as "long" and covering "many topics" including oil, minerals, trade and national security.

The effusive praise for Rodríguez, who served as Nicolás Maduro's vice president before assuming interim leadership following the January 3 US military raid, underscores Trump's prioritisation of working relationships with regime figures who deliver on American objectives over support for Venezuelan democracy activists whose electoral mandate Washington has systematically ignored.

"This partnership between the United States of America and Venezuela will be spectacular FOR ALL," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Venezuela will soon be great and prosperous again, perhaps more so than ever before!"

Rodriguez confirmed the talks, stating, "I had a long, productive, and courteous telephone conversation with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, conducted in a framework of mutual respect.”

Trump's enthusiasm for his Venezuelan regime interlocutor contrasted sharply with his dismissive characterisation of Machado to Reuters as "a very nice woman" with whom he expects to "just talk basics,” a formulaic description suggesting the January 15 encounter will amount to diplomatic courtesy rather than substantive engagement.

Machado, an industrial engineer and daughter of a steel magnate, has challenged Chavismo since 2004 when her civil organisation promoted a referendum to recall Hugo Chávez. A year later she drew Chávez's fury by meeting President George W Bush in Washington.

Nearly two decades later, she mobilised millions of Venezuelans to reject Chávez's handpicked successor in 2024 elections that regime-controlled electoral authorities awarded to Maduro despite extensive evidence showing her coalition won decisively. The subsequent government crackdown sent her into hiding, with her whereabouts largely unknown until she briefly emerged in Oslo last month when her daughter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf.

Yet Trump quickly dismissed her leadership credentials following Maduro's capture, stating she lacks "the support within or the respect within the country."

The warm public embrace of Rodríguez came just 24 hours before Trump receives Machado, whose democratic coalition won more than two-thirds of votes, according to independent monitors, yet has been excluded from any substantive role in Venezuela's transition. Machado is also scheduled to meet with senators on January 15 afternoon, a sign of the support she retains amongst congressional Republicans even as Trump sidelines her.

Speaking to reporters, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt justified the approach by pointing to tangible results: a "$500mn energy agreement," 31mn barrels of oil "already on their way to the US," and prisoner releases. Venezuela released several Americans this week, moves reportedly made at Washington's request as Rodríguez adopts a less confrontational posture toward Trump's policies.

Rodríguez announced on January 14 that her government has released 406 political prisoners with the process "remaining open,” though opposition groups report lower numbers. The escalating claims suggest the regime is eager to demonstrate compliance with US expectations.

The interim president made the announcement flanked by her brother Jorge Rodríguez, National Assembly president, alongside Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, the brutal enforcer who commands intelligence services accused by the United Nations of crimes against humanity.

Trump has repeatedly claimed American "tutelage" over Venezuela's government, announcing arrangements to market millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude under Washington's control. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined last week a three-phase strategy beginning with "stabilisation" through economic leverage, followed by "recovery" ensuring American companies gain market access, and concluding with some kind of unspecified political "transition."

But the relationship remains fundamentally lopsided. Trump maintains explicit threats of further military intervention, has seized Venezuelan oil tankers, and controls revenues from crude sales. Rodríguez, despite claims of independence and regime continuity, governs under American supervision, her continued tenure contingent on delivering results Washington demands.