Interim President Delcy Rodríguez has stated that the government of Venezuela runs the country and there are no external agents governing it, despite President Trump's claim that the U.S. would "run" Venezuela.
Rodriguez asserted that no external agents are governing Venezuela and that the state structures, including security and judicial institutions, remain intact and under its command. She named General Gustavo Enrique González López, the former head of the intelligence service (SEBIN), as the commander of the Presidential Honor Guard.
Rodriguez has been officially backed by the Venezuelan military and presided over the swearing-in of a new National Assembly composed largely of government loyalists.
January 4, 2026, she hosted her first Council of Ministers meeting to ensure "administrative continuity and national sovereignty".
She's gets Trump's and other international attention because she's leveraging her experience as Petroleum Minister, and has maintained close contact with foreign oil companies like Chevron to stabilize production.
She's continued the orthodox economic policies she implemented as Vice President, such as cutting public spending and fixing the dollar-bolivar exchange rate, to manage inflation.
It seems to me that it's true that various criminal organizations and armed "colectivos" -- armed government-aligned civilian groups -- operate across large parts of the territory, including within the capital, more to keep the population a bit on edge so that Rodriguez can appear to be the calming force.
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