Delcy Rodriguez has run Venezuela since U.S. forces seized Maduro in January. Will she meet Trump in New York by Sept 27?

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, met with President Trump in New York on September 22, 2026, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The two spoke for roughly 15 minutes at a reception at the Lotte New York Palace hotel, marking their first face-to-face meeting.

Rodríguez took over Venezuela's government after a U.S. military operation in January 2026 captured longtime leader Nicolás Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges. She had been Maduro's vice president. The White House had said the previous week that a meeting was planned, and it followed an agreement announced in August giving the United States a stake in Venezuela's oil reserves. During their exchange, Trump pressed Rodríguez on the need for Venezuela to hold elections.

The community underestimated this outcome, with only 39% expecting the meeting to happen by September 27, reflecting uncertainty over whether the informal, sideline nature of the encounter would materialize as a real Trump-Rodríguez meeting. The photo of the two leaders together drew criticism from some Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who argued that engaging directly with a Maduro-era official undercut U.S. positioning on Venezuela's political transition.