Richard Grenell (left) standing beside Donald Trump (right) at a 2024 campaign event. Photo: AP/Alex Brandon.
The US President’s Special Envoy for Special Missions, Richard Grenell, said President Donald Trump’s openness to talking with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro does not reflect weakness.
“I don’t think talking to Maduro is a weak position. And many people criticized me harshly for saying that it’s weak to go and talk to him. I totally disagree,” he said during an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
The US official defended the current administration’s negotiation style, rooted in the “America First” approach.
Grenell cited his experience as ambassador to Germany to illustrate his focus on US interests. He said he was criticized for being too tough and not helping the Germans.
He recalled that Chancellor Merkel “once reprimanded me and said, ‘You know, give us a break once in a while.’ And I said, with all due respect, Madam, you have an ambassador in Washington. I am here for the American people. I work for the American people. They pay my salary. I want our embassy to be the best for the United States. I don’t really care too much about German problems,” he emphasized.
Grenell stressed that his role is to represent the US—not the host country—which justifies a firm stance when dealing with adversaries.
What Is Really Happening in Venezuela? US Attacks and Economic Situation Explained
His comments follow President Trump’s second statement this Monday that he would “probably” speak with the Venezuelan president, even as the US maintains a military deployment in waters near Venezuela.
For his part, President Nicolás Maduro, addressing the prospect of dialogue, reiterated: “Whoever wants to talk to Venezuela, we will talk face to face.”
No evidence linking President Maduro to drug cartels
Juan González, a White House advisor during the Joe Biden administration, said Sunday there is no evidence that President Nicolás Maduro has ties to international drug trafficking networks, as the US government alleges.
“There is no evidence to support that the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, directs any drug trafficking cartel,” González stated emphatically in an interview with journalist Patricia Janiot. He noted that in Iraq, the US intervened “based on false evidence—and here [in Venezuela’s case], we must recognize there is no concrete evidence of Maduro’s role as head of a cartel.”
The former official also said it is plausible that groundwork could be laid for dialogue between US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to reduce tensions fueled by US escalation and ongoing aggression against Venezuela.
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