Trump Official Reportedly Grew Frustrated With Venezuelan Opposition Leader Machado After Failing To Detail How She Would Rise To Power

Trump officials reportedly grew frustrated with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado after she failed to show detail how she would rule the country if authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro was toppled, according to a new report.

The New York Times detailed the different factors that contributed to the decision to engage with interim President Delcy Rodriguez. One of them was that the opposition would have a hard time ruling the country, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio persuading Trump that a lack of support from the armed forces could destabilize the country and require military presence.

Another point of friction involved special envoy Richard Grenell, who, according to the outlet, requested a list of political prisoners from Machado. She refused to provide one to avoid being accused of favoritism. Moreover, he grew frustrated after Machado didn't give concrete ideas about the best way to rise to power.

Moreover, a recent CIA analysis concluded that regime insiders would be best suited to lead a temporary government should he fall. The Wall Street Journal noted that Rodriguez and two other top regime figures, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez would also be key in such a scenario. The two officials, who also face charges in the U.S., could disrupt any efforts to conduct a transition and would therefore be unlikely to cooperate with Washington, the outlet added.

The Trump administration has conveyed three main demands to Rodriguez, according to another report. Citing a U.S. official familiar with the matter, Politico detailed that the demands are cracking down on drug flows, removing operatives from countries such as Iran and Cuba, and refrain from selling oil to U.S. adversaries.

Administration officers also expect Rodriguez to eventually hold free elections and step down, even if there are no set dates for such events. In fact, President Donald Trump said Venezuela won't have elections in the next 30 days and the country must be "nursed back to health" before they can take place.

Speaking to NBC News, Trump added that the U.S. has to "fix the country first." "You can't have an election. There's no way the people could even vote," he added.

Rubio made a similar claim following the capture of Maduro, saying the notion of holding elections immediately is "absurd."