Trump envoy speaks to Maduro officials

Richard Grenell announced on X that he was speaking to “officials in Venezuela” just after Donald Trump’s second inauguration ceremony on 20 January 2025.

On 20 January, Richard Grenell announced on social media that he was speaking to “officials in Venezuela.” He added that “diplomacy is back,” and “talking is a tactic.”

According to sources with information on the matter, he spoke to Jorge Rodríguez, who is in charge of formal negotiations with the U.S. government.

Grenell is President Donald Trump’s new Presidential Envoy for Special Missions, which include Venezuela and North Korea.

There were already informal communication channels between the Trump team, particularly Grenell, and Nicolás Maduro’s government, in the weeks before the inauguration.

Grenell and Rodríguez already met in Mexico City in September 2020. At the time, the White House said they had discussed plans for a peaceful transition, while the Mike Pompeo State Department said they had no previous knowledge of the meeting.

Sources in Venezuela report that Grenell is being sent to Caracas immediately, although the full agenda is unknown.

The purpose would be to strike a deal with the Venezuelan government which includes deportations and curbing immigration flows, one of President Trump’s main priorities.

The Biden administration already had an agreement which would use Conviasa aircraft to take Venezuelan deportees in October 2023, without there being direct commercial flights. The deal fell apart soon after due to friction between the two governments. Conviasa is Venezuela’s state-owned airline.

A new deal would likely also involve expanding OFAC licenses for oil companies, benefitting U.S. ones at the expense of rivals, like China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba. This part could be of benefit to both parties on the negotiation table.

Analysts do not expect formal recognition of Maduro as president by the Trump administration, but some other form of direct diplomatic relations.

The question remains of how the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, would approach such a deal. For years, he has made clear that his position is to find ways to punish the Maduro government, especially with economic sanctions.

This time, Rubio could step aside for negotiations to take place for the first few months of the Trump administration, as long as targeting immigration is the top priority. If they were to fail, it is then likely that Rubio would take over policy towards Venezuela, and seek to isolate it politically and economically.

On 22 January, Rubio had a video call with opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, who he referred to as “the rightful president of Venezuela.” However, a signal that Rubio will not get too involved in Venezuela for the time being is that, although Gonzalez is in Washington D.C., they did not meet in person.