Delcy Rodríguez Defends $209 Billion Oil Deal With Trump as Chavistas Denounce U.S. Turn
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 1
Delcy Rodríguez Defends $209 Billion Oil Deal With Trump as Chavistas Denounce U.S. Turn
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 1
Summary
$209 billion in projected revenue is Delcy Rodríguez’s main defense of her oil pact with Donald Trump, which she says will fund healthcare and education after Nicolás Maduro’s January abduction.
Nine months into the U.S.-backed realignment, Rodríguez has met Trump at the UN and hosted repeated visits by senior U.S. officials, crystallizing a sharp break from Venezuela’s anti-imperialist posture.
Mario Silva, 66, and other longtime Chavista figures including Elías Jaua and Juan Barreto have condemned the deal as a betrayal, with Silva’s state TV show canceled as he attacks the interim government on YouTube.
Thousands still rallied for Rodríguez in Caracas, and analysts say many Chavistas may accept cooperation with Washington as a pragmatic way to keep power—if the government can show tangible gains.
That leaves the main risk ahead inside Chavismo itself: anger has not yet produced major resistance, but critics warn worsening living conditions could turn ideological outrage into broader unrest.