Trump warns Venezuela vice president…"If you don't do the right thing, you'll pay a greater price"

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 4th (local time) that he warned Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed the role of head of state in place of former President Nicolás Maduro, "If you do not behave properly, you could pay a greater price than Maduro."

In an interview with the U.S. current affairs weekly The Atlantic on the morning of that day, President Trump warned, "If Vice President Rodriguez does not do the right thing, she will pay a very large price, and it may be harsher than Maduro's."

The U.S. military, through a military operation from the night of the 2nd into the early hours of the 3rd, raided President Maduro's safe house, arrested President Maduro and his wife, and then transported them to a detention center in New York. After Maduro's transfer, President Trump showed a praising attitude toward Vice President Rodriguez. However, when Vice President Rodriguez announced, "We will defend Venezuela's natural resources to the end," President Trump's tone completely changed.

President Trump strongly defended his decision to arrest Maduro by force. In the interview he told The Atlantic, "Whether you call it reconstruction or regime change, it's much better than the current situation." He pointed out, "It can't get worse than the current state."

The Trump administration's position is that it is willing to cooperate with the remaining figures of the Maduro regime if Washington's goals are achieved, such as guaranteeing U.S. investors' access to Venezuela's huge oil reserves.

However, Vice President Rodriguez, immediately after being confirmed as interim president with the approval of Venezuela's Supreme Court and the military, declared resistance, saying, "Maduro is the only legitimate leader" and "we are ready to defend our natural resources."

Regarding this, President Trump, who has usually shown a negative stance on 'nation building' or 'regime change' abroad, took a hard line this time, saying "the United States will run Venezuela."

In particular, President Trump also hinted at the possibility of intervention in countries other than Venezuela in this interview. He mentioned Greenland, a Danish territory and a NATO member, saying, "We absolutely need Greenland," once again formalizing his intention to purchase Greenland, which had been controversial during his previous term.

Jin Young-gi, Hankyung.com reporter young71@hankyung.com