Rubio's Remote Control of Venezuela Draws Trump's Caracas Joke

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is effectively running Venezuela from Washington, exerting extensive control over the country's finances, natural resources, and government. The New York Times reported that Rubio's role serves as a vivid manifestation of American power in the Trump era, with the secretary orchestrating policy from afar after U.S. commandos captured Nicolás Maduro.

Political Wire recounted a moment in the Oval Office earlier this year when President Trump jokingly suggested dispatching Rubio permanently to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. The idea came after Rubio had already been deeply involved in the country's affairs, a fact that Trump himself seemed to acknowledge with his lighthearted comment.

Political WireHow Marco Rubio Is Running Venezuela From Afar

"Maybe he should dispatch Mr. Rubio permanently to Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, where U.S. commandos had carried out the proudest foreign policy achievement of Mr. Trump's second …"

The joke highlighted just how central Rubio has become to U.S. policy in Venezuela, even as he remains physically in Washington.

"serving as a vivid manifestation of American power in the Trump era"

The Times described the capture of Nicolás Maduro as the proudest foreign policy achievement of Trump's second term, with Rubio now effectively controlling the country's finances and natural resources from afar. This arrangement, while unofficial, underscores the outsized role the secretary of state plays in the administration's hemispheric strategy.