Florida Sen. Rick Scott Breaks With Trump and Marco Rubio on Venezuela's Delcy Rodríguez: "She Is Despicable"

Sen. Rick Scott publicly broke with the Trump administration's Venezuela policy this weekend, rejecting Washington's recognition of Delcy Rodríguez as Venezuela's leader and calling her "the head of a cartel" as opposition leader María Corina Machado urged Venezuelans around the world to mobilize for political prisoners.

"Delcy Rodriguez is NOT the president of Venezuela, she's the head of a cartel. She's despicable," Scott wrote on X. "ALL the political prisoners in Venezuela must be RELEASED IMMEDIATELY, the oppression needs to stop, and free and FAIR elections MUST HAPPEN!"

The statement marked one of the sharpest Republican rebukes yet of the administration's Venezuela reset. The U.S. lifted sanctions on Rodríguez after formally recognizing her as Venezuela's leader in March, opening the door for her government to regain control of diplomatic missions and state assets abroad. The Trump administration has also engaged Rodríguez's interim government on energy, investment, and sanctions waivers.

It came after Trump's latest praise on the relationship of his administration and Rodriguez's interim government. "We're getting along great with Venezuela. We are working very closely with them," Trump said on April 29.

Scott's remarks also put pressure on Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime hard-liner on Venezuela whose department is now carrying out the administration's diplomatic opening. Rubio said in January that Rodríguez's government was not legitimate through an election, but the administration later moved toward recognition as part of its post-Maduro strategy.

The clash comes as Machado called for a worldwide demonstration Sunday, May 3, under the slogan "Nos faltan 500 (we are missing 500)," focused on political prisoners in Venezuela. According to 24 Horas, Machado urged Venezuelans abroad to gather in more than 120 cities to "levantar nuestra voz por todos los presos y perseguidos que existen en Venezuela."

Human rights group Foro Penal reported that 454 people remained jailed for political reasons in Venezuela as of April 27, including 410 men and 44 women, with more than 200 still without convictions.

For Scott, the message was blunt: Rodríguez is not a democratic transition figure, and Washington should not treat her as one. His statement gives Machado's global mobilization a powerful U.S. Senate echo one day before Venezuelans in Caracas, Miami, Madrid, Santiago and other cities are expected to gather for the detainees.