Venezuela’s Democratic Transition Is Critical. Here’s How The Trump Administration Is Handling It.

The third round of conversations is actively underway to foster a democratic transition in Venezuela, but it requires overcoming serious “trauma” to make continued progress toward an “enduring republic,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott explained to Townhall on Thursday. 

Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro was brought to the United States in a high-level military operation in January to face federal narcoterrorism charges, and Interim President Delcy Rodriguez is now overseeing the country. 

Rodriguez was the vice president under Maduro’s regime that was seen as illegitimate, especially after the 2024 election, according to the Carter Center. 

“You need a free media. You need [the] ability to count the votes in a way that people trust. You need [an] independent Supreme Court that can adjudicate election disputes. There are all these different institutions,” Pigott said. “So there’s a lot of hard work to happen. We’re seeing progress in that direction.” 

When it comes to the flow of information, Venezuelans now have access to over a dozen news websites that were once banned by Maduro, DW reported in September. 

The conversations are occurring between the “interim authorities and representatives of the 2015 National Assembly.” According to the State Department, the 2015 legislative group was the most recent one to be broadly considered fairly elected. 

The spokesman noted that the ongoing dialogue is underscored by the fact that the “Venezuelan people suffered for decades” under an oppressive government.

“A trauma where we saw the resources of the Venezuelan economy being plundered, the fact that we’ve seen the degradation of infrastructure, of buildings, no investment in the oil fields and what revenue was happening there was going towards cronyism and adversaries,” he said. “So there’s a lot of work to be done to solve and overcome that trauma.”

The 2015 assembly’s president, Dinorah Figuera, met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Friday, and Rubio, according to a readout, praised her “courageous leadership in advancing political reconciliation.”

In my meeting with @DinorahFiguera, I reaffirmed our unwavering support for her and her team at the highest levels of our government. The Venezuelan people have the opportunity for a peaceful transition to a stable, prosperous, and enduring democracy that will secure freedom for generations to come.

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 9, 2026

Pigott noted that there’s also been the release of over 1,000 “political prisoners” and progress on “key repressive laws” that were applied by the Maduro regime to harm its opposition. 

Although the United States is acting as a key facilitator in the discussions, Pigott emphasized that it is a “Venezuelan-led process.” 

“There will be short-term benefits, but the work happening now, whether that’s the stable reserves, the lower energy prices, whether that’s the work towards democratic transition – this will have benefits for decades to come for the people of the United States, for the people of Venezuela, for the people of the entire region,” he said. 

Pigott also argued that while the Maduro regime worked with drug cartels “to poison the American people,” the mission is to have Venezuela as a “partner of the United States,” including with the recent oil deal. 

“So that means lower gas prices for the United States, means stable reserves for the United States, and revenue that goes to the Venezuelan people,” he said. “And also when there is that elected government, that enduring republic, it’s setting up that republic for success.”

Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said in a recent Financial Times interview that she wants to see an election next July.

“Things could move faster and steadily without any risk of instability in the country,” Machado told the outlet. 

“I think where there is a different assessment is in the pace, in the timing. I’m saying I believe we can move ahead and we’re ready,” she added. 

Machado is currently exiled from Venezuela despite many attempts to go back to the country, and she famously symbolically gave President Donald Trump her Nobel Peace Prize medal she was awarded in 2025. 

GRACIAS! Gracias infinitas, gracias a cada uno por hacerme sentir tan cerca de todos…
Los quiero con toda mi alma. https://t.co/FKwjnt1wZd

— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) October 8, 2026

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