President Donald Trump will meet Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez for the first time on September 22, 2026, during a casual pull-aside at the UN General Assembly in New York. Rodriguez took power after a U.S. military raid captured Nicolas Maduro in January 2026. The meeting follows a landmark August 2026 energy deal giving the U.S. a stake in Venezuela's oil reserves, signaling rapidly normalizing relations that have left opposition leader Maria Corina Machado isolated abroad.
Trump-Rodriguez UN meeting
- ▪U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez in New York on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, marking their first in-person meeting
- ▪Delcy Rodriguez will be the first Venezuelan head of state to attend the United Nations General Assembly in nearly a decade, since Nicolas Maduro attended in 2018
- ▪The meeting between Donald Trump and Delcy Rodriguez in New York on September 22, 2026 will be a casual "pull-aside" on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly leaders' reception hosted by Trump
Maduro capture operation
- ▪Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for Delcy Rodriguez, who previously served as Nicolas Maduro's vice president, since Maduro's ouster in January 2026
- ▪Delcy Rodriguez took power in Venezuela after a January 2026 U.S. military raid captured then-President Nicolas Maduro and brought him to the United States on drug trafficking charges
US-Venezuela oil deal
- ▪Delcy Rodriguez described the August 2026 U.S.-Venezuela oil agreement as a step toward economic recovery that will modernize Venezuela's oil industry
- ▪The United States and Venezuela signed an energy agreement in August 2026 giving the United States a stake and partial control over Venezuela's vast oil reserves
Machado return dilemma
- ▪Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado faces a dilemma over when to return home due to reticence from the Trump administration regarding her homecoming
- ▪Maria Corina Machado left Venezuela in late 2025 to receive the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize after living in hiding following a contested 2024 election
Trump bilateral meetings
- ▪Donald Trump will hold bilateral meetings in New York with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council
- ▪Senior U.S. administration officials stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to meet with Donald Trump in New York due to Netanyahu's limited schedule during the Israeli electoral season
Debatable claims
- ▪The US–Venezuela oil agreement undermines Venezuela's sovereignty over its natural resources
- ▪The Trump administration should support Maria Corina Machado over Delcy Rodriguez
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