Venezuela’s state media condemns the capture of President Nicolás Maduro as pro-government rallies and armed civilian patrols emerge in Caracas.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
OK, let’s go to the region now, because meanwhile, in Venezuela itself, state TV has been covering pro-Maduro rallies in several cities, and government-approved media has been condemning this U.S. seizure of Maduro and his wife. It’s worth noting here, there is no independent media in Venezuela. Foreign reporter visas are greatly restricted. There are also reports today of armed civilian groups patrolling neighborhoods in and around Caracas. So I want to bring in NPR South America correspondent Carrie Kahn. She has been tracking events in Venezuela from her post in Rio de Janeiro. Hey, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise.
KELLY: OK, so parsing what we heard from the president this morning – President Trump, that is – he says the U.S. will run Venezuela. He also said at that press conference in Mar-a-Lago that the current vice president of Venezuela has taken over. Is that right? What do we know about her and her role now?
KAHN: Trump said that she had been sworn in and that she spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump also said that the VP is essentially willing to do what we want. And then he added that those in the Venezuelan government that do not do what the U.S. wants knows what will happen to them. Later in the day, though, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez held this televised Defense Council meeting. All the top leaders of the Venezuelan government were there, and she was very defiant. She said there is only one president of Venezuela – and it’s Maduro – and that Venezuela will never surrender, will not ever return to being a colony of anyone, including new empires and empires in decline.
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DELCY RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: “The extremists who have promoted this armed aggression against our country will be made to pay in history and in justice,” she said. And she also added the Venezuelan people have already relegated them to the garbage dump of history. That doesn’t sound like somebody quite in line with the U.S. stance.
KELLY: It does not, no.
KAHN: And it was clear that the televised meeting was a show of unity, too, Mary Louise, just of the Maduro government and the socialist core that has held them in power all these years.
KELLY: OK, so that’s what we’re hearing from the top of Venezuela’s government, or what is left of it. What about ordinary Venezuelans, people on the streets in Caracas? What are you hearing?
KAHN: We sent a reporter to talk with people in Caracas. I think the overall sentiment we heard was just shock. You know, this happened at 2 a.m. These explosions went off in multiple sites throughout the city. We heard some relief that Maduro was gone, like from this retired government worker, Sandra Martinez. She’s 59 and says Maduro had to go.
SANDRA MARTINEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: “It was necessary already,” she said, and if a transition is to happen, God willing, she said, she hopes it will be peaceful. We also heard from a shopkeeper, Carlos Barada, who’s 57 years old. He’d been lining up to get medicine from a drugstore since 5 a.m., and by the time we talked to him, he’d already been there four hours. There have been long lines of people shopping, stocking up on groceries and medicines. He lives near that military airport that was bombed at 2 a.m., and he said that there were three explosion, and one sent shock waves through his whole apartment, but he’s really worried now about what’s coming next.
CARLOS BARADA: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: He says, everyone’s saying the next days will be difficult. And he said he’s decided to take the little money he’s stashed away and buy as much food as he can. He says he and his wife are alone, that 80% of his family has left the country and now lives in exile.
KELLY: Before I let you go, Carrie, I want to put to you a question that you just heard me put to Franco Ordoñez, and that is about where the Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado fits into all this. Leader of Venezuela’s opposition, she dedicated that Nobel award to President Trump. What is she saying about the future of Venezuela?
KAHN: She put out a statement today saying that peace and sovereignty are coming to Venezuela, and soon there will be order in the country. All the political prisoners will be released. And she says, we will construct an exceptional country and bring all our children home. She did add that there is a plan coming forth, and she will announce it soon. But, like, as Franco said, when Trump was asked about her, he dismissed her role and said she’s a very nice woman but doesn’t have respect inside Venezuela.
KELLY: NPR’s Carrie Kahn reporting from Rio de Janeiro. I know you’ve had a long day. Thanks so much for all your insight, Carrie.
KAHN: You’re welcome.
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