Live Updates: Venezuelans March in Support of Maduro as New Leader Rejects Trump’s Claim The interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, contradicted President Trump’s assertion that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela. “The government of Venezuela runs our country,” she said.

 

Live Updates: Venezuelans March in Support of Maduro as New Leader Rejects Trump’s Claim

The interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, contradicted President Trump’s assertion that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela. “The government of Venezuela runs our country,” she said.

 

Jack Nicas

Daniel Victor

Jack Nicas and Daniel Victor

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/06/world/venezuela-maduro-us-trump

 

Here’s the latest.

A large crowd supporting the ousted president Nicolás Maduro marched through the streets of Caracas on Tuesday, demanding his release from an American jail, while Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, made it clear the regime he put in place remained in power.

 

“The government of Venezuela runs our country,” she said, directly contradicting President Trump. “No one else. There is no external agent governing Venezuela.”

 

There appeared to be a few thousand people marching, but it was not possible to verify.

 

At the same time, the Venezuelan government was exerting its control of the country, with reports of checkpoints, searches of citizens’ phones, detentions of journalists and the arrest of at least two people celebrating Mr. Maduro’s capture.

 

There were virtually no signs of opposition on the streets.

 

The so-called colectivos, or armed government militias, were out in full force on the streets of the capital in recent days, and some citizens said they have been interrogating people and searching their phones for signs of support for the U.S. attacks.

 

The pro-government march ended in a rally that was joined by some Venezuelan government officials and broadcast on state television.

 

Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s interior minister, who is also under indictment in the United States, gave a defiant speech. “The voices in Venezuela are rising up, demanding that Nicolás and Cilia be returned to us,” Mr. Cabello said. “With you, we go to battle.”