But the trade-off seems to be working with Maduro …
“… Maduro claimed reelection to a third term as president in July following an election that he appeared to lose. Exit polls and a Washington Post analysis of ballot receipts collected by the opposition indicated that challenger Edmundo González received twice as many votes.
… Trump campaigned on plans for a “massive deportation” of migrants, but he cannot repatriate Venezuelan nationals without cooperation from Maduro.
Maduro has signaled a willingness to accept deportation flights in exchange for the preservation of oil licenses and increases in crude exports, The Washington Post has reported. Venezuela boasts the world’s largest proven oil reserves, but its industry has been hobbled by U.S.-led sanctions and mismanagement.
It is not the first time Grenell has met with the Maduro government. In 2020, after Grenell had served as Trump’s acting U.S. director of national intelligence, he quietly met with an influential Maduro ally, Jorge Rodríguez, in Mexico City, without informing the State Department or National Security Council, said Elliott Abrams, who was special envoy to Venezuela during Trump’s first term.
… Abrams argued that Friday’s meeting in Caracas was “very dangerous.” Trump’s message for the Venezuelan government “could be delivered to Maduro without a face-to-face meeting; that is a gift to him.”
The meeting, Abrams argued, reveals the level of authority that Grenell will wield in the administration, and it appears to “step on” Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s first official trip abroad, a journey through Latin America with stops in Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
…
The Friday meeting, first reported by CNN, raised concerns among supporters of the Venezuelan opposition, who have argued that dealing directly with Maduro would grant him legitimacy after an election they say he stole.
“I hope that during today’s visit, the only thing Richard Grenell focuses on is demanding the return of the kidnapped Americans, ensuring that Maduro takes back the thugs and gang members in our country, and finding a new country for Maduro,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) posted on X. …”