Delcy Rodríguez formally assumed the role of Venezuela’s acting president late Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a blunt public warning directed at her. Speaking earlier aboard Air Force One, Trump said Rodríguez must grant the United States “total access” to Venezuela or face consequences he described as “probably worse than Maduro’s.” He stressed that Washington expects unrestricted access to Venezuelan resources, particularly oil, which he said would be necessary to help “rebuild” the country. Trump repeated remarks he had previously made to The Atlantic, adding that Maduro had “given up immediately,” while Rodríguez would face a harsher outcome if she failed to “do the right thing,” without specifying what actions he was demanding.

According to Venezuela’s presidential office, Rodríguez took office Sunday night. Official photographs published online show her presiding over her first meeting of the Council of Ministers shortly after assuming power. Her appointment comes a day after Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces during a military operation and transferred to American custody.

Soon after being sworn in, Rodríguez released a public message calling for calm, dialogue and cooperation. In a statement posted on Instagram, she addressed the international community and the United States directly, saying Venezuela reaffirmed its commitment to peace and peaceful coexistence. She said the country sought to live free of external threats and favored respectful international cooperation, arguing that global peace begins with stability inside each nation. Rodríguez said Caracas wanted balanced and respectful relations with Washington and other regional partners, based on sovereignty, equality and non-interference, principles she described as central to Venezuelan diplomacy.

She also extended an explicit invitation to the U.S. government to work with her administration on a cooperative agenda aimed at shared development within the framework of international law. Addressing Trump by name, Rodríguez said the peoples of Venezuela, the United States and the wider region deserved peace and dialogue, not war. She added that this message had also been central to Maduro’s own stance, signaling continuity and personal loyalty to the detained former leader.

Meanwhile, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, remain in U.S. detention and are expected to appear before a federal court in the Southern District of New York on Monday at noon local time. This will be their first court appearance following Saturday’s operation. They face charges linked to alleged narco-terrorism and drug trafficking conspiracies.

Tensions widened further as Trump turned his rhetoric toward other countries in the region. During a brief exchange with reporters, he described Colombia as being “run by a sick man” and suggested its leadership would not last. When asked whether that implied possible U.S. action, Trump replied, “Sounds good to me,” a comment that immediately sparked speculation and concern, given Colombia’s long-standing role as a close U.S. ally on security, counter-narcotics and economic cooperation.