Nicole Silverio is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Daily Caller News Foundation co-founder Tucker Carlson said on Monday that he is grateful that President Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro did not result in complete regime change.
Carlson argued on “The Tucker Carlson Show” that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez acting as the interim president will help bring some stability and ensure the Venezuelan government is pro-American. Trump told reporters on Saturday that Rodriguez was sworn in to run Venezuela temporarily until a “judicious” transition can take place in the country.
“I’ll just tell you what I’m grateful for, and I’m grateful for the wisdom of not taking out the entire government,” Carlson said. “Not because I support the government, but because, you know, we have clear models in Iraq, in Libya and Syria. Like, it can be very hard to put those things back together again and the fact that they appear to be backing Delcy Rodriguez, not because they love her, but because they favor stability over chaos. They’re kind of keeping the structure in place, but making sure it’s pro-American. That seems like a much wiser approach. That makes me calm down a little bit.”
Carlson also suggested that neocons are pushing for María Corina Machado, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition, to ascend to power instead of Rodriguez.
“The neocons are pushing for her, they don’t want the vice president to ascend to the presidency. So, you can say that’s crazy,” Carlson said.
Machado was banned from running against Maduro during the nation’s election in 2024 and was living in hiding until last month. In October, she escaped her home country en route to Oslo, Norway, to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she dedicated to Trump. The president stated on Saturday that Machado does not have the support or respect in her country and thus should not run the country.
Carlson has been a strong opponent of U.S.-led regime change and foreign wars, arguing that they do not benefit American interests and have proven to be failures. He strongly opposed the U.S.’ strikes in Iran in June, stating the U.S. “cannot afford” another war in the Middle East.
The U.S. Army’s elite special forces unit, Delta Force, captured Maduro and brought him to the U.S., where he faces four criminal charges including narcoterrorism. Maduro pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Monday.
